KOLKATA: Three days before the assembly poll begins in the state, West Bengal government on Wednesday "kept in abeyance" the state security adviser Surajit Kar Purkayastha till the eight-phase election is over, a senior official said.
The 1985-West Bengal cadre IPS officer has been in the post since June 2018.
"Purkayastha, state security adviser, will be kept in abeyance now during the elections. The order will take immediate effect," the order issued by the state government said.
The Mamata Banerjee-government had created the post on the lines of the national security adviser (NSA).
Opposition parties have been alleging that free and fair polling in West Bengal will not be possible unless Purkayastha is removed from the post of the state security adviser.
The eight-phase poll for the 294 state assembly seats begin on March 27.
Votes will be counted on May 2.