Following the instruction of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the West Bengal government on Monday appointed Vivek Sahay as the new DGP of the state, according to sources.

The appointment was made within hours after the poll panel removed Rajeev Kumar as the director general of police (DGP).

Sahay, a 1988-batch IPS officer, was the Director General and Commandant General (Home Guards).

Kumar, who was appointed as the state DGP last December, was moved to the Information and Technology department, a "non-election" related assignment, and, as an interim arrangement, the sources said.

The decision to shift Kumar was taken as the officer was removed earlier too from active election management-related duty during the 2016 assembly election in the state and in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, poll panel sources pointed out.