It was alleged that Chakrabarti was serving the interests of the ruling CPM.

He was removed from poll duty and instead Gaurav Sharma, SDPO, Haldia, has been posted at Nandigram police station to supervise law and order.

Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb, who reviewed the situation in Nandigram, made the announcement today.

“We cannot remove the OC for various reasons. There is the question of keeping the morale of the force intact. There are certain rules,” Deb said.

He, however, threw the ball in the state election commission’s court on the issue of the removal of Nandigram OC.

Had the state election commission recommended his removal, the state government would have accepted it, he said.

He said that no police camps would be closed in Nandigram.

“The situation there is still tense and there is a lack of good neighbourly relations there. So instead of cutting down on the forces, we are sending two more companies there — one company of paramilitary force and one company that is coming from Orissa,” Deb told reporters.

He said that the state government has taken all measures to send people back who have been evicted from their houses because of the violence.

“About 700 to 800 people gather in front of the Nandigram block 1 office every day but at night only about 20 people stay back at the community hall at the office which is used as a camp. However, we are arranging for transport and police protection for those who are going back,” Deb said.

Regarding the security preparedness for the ensuing panchayat polls, he said that 32 companies of police and paramilitary forces would be deployed for maintaining law and order.