Kolkata, 09 March (H.S.) : An order issued by the West Bengal Police headquarters transferring three women civic volunteers has raised questions, as such a move is considered unusual. A senior police officer confirmed the development on Monday.

According to sources, a formal directive regarding the transfer was issued from the police headquarters at Bhabani Bhawan. However, officials said there has been no known precedent in recent years where the state police headquarters issued a formal transfer notice for civic volunteers.

Civic volunteers are not regular members of the state police force. The Calcutta High Court had earlier clarified that civic volunteers cannot be deployed for law-and-order duties. In a previous ruling, the court stated that they should not be engaged in core police functions or in assisting officers in official police work.

The High Court had also made it constitutionally clear that civic volunteers are not police personnel. Despite this, the transfer order for the three women civic volunteers has been issued from the police headquarters. The reasons behind the transfers have not yet been disclosed.

During the tenure of the Left Front government, personnel known as Green Police were commonly seen on the streets of Kolkata.

After the All India Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, the state government initiated the recruitment of civic volunteers. Initially, around 2,000 civic volunteers were appointed in the Howrah Police Commissionerate and Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate, marking the beginning of the civic volunteer recruitment process in the state.

Senior officials said civic volunteers are generally engaged through local police stations, meaning they do not have a direct administrative link with the state police headquarters.

The development comes at a time when the police administration in the state has already seen several rounds of reshuffling ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Several senior Indian Police Service officers have been transferred across the state, while changes have also been made in postings at police stations and commissionerates.

In this context, the transfer order for three civic volunteers has drawn considerable attention.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh