Surajit Kar Purkayastha


Surajit Kar Purkayastha is and retired senior Indian Police Service officer of 1985 West Bengal cadre who is serving as the State Security Advisor of West Bengal since 1 June 2018. Prior to that,he served as Director General of Police of West Bengal and was the 36th Police Commissioner of Kolkata.

Life and Education

Purkayastha holds an Mechanical engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and after completion of his studies he joined Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation.

Police career

He is an officer of 1985 West Bengal cadre, completing his IPS training in Burdwan district. His first posting was at Bolpur subdivision as SDPO in Birbhum district. He has also worked as Additional Superintendent of Police in South 24 Parganas district and also as Additional Deputy Commissioner Asansol–Durgapur Police Commissionerate and Barrackpore Police Commissionerate. He later worked in Kolkata Police in various posts like DC Security Control-2, DCDD, DC Traffic etc. Atter that he became the Superintendent of police of Howrah and then went to Iran as a Research and Analysis Wing officer and stayed there for 5 years. He also hold the ranks of DIG-Vigilance, IG-South Bengal, IG-Law and Order. Then he became ADG- Law and Order before assuming the office of Police Commissioner of Kolkata.

As [Police Commissioner of Kolkata]

On 14 February 2013 he was appointed as the 36th Police Commissioner of Kolkata replacing Ranjit Kumar Panchananda and he served as the Commissioner for 3 years and on 13 February he was succeeded by Rajeev Kumar.

As the [Director General of Police]

After serving as Police Commissioner of Kolkata for 3 years, he was then appointed as the DGP of the state succeeding Shri. G. M. P. Reddy and served as the State Police chief for 2 years until 31 May 2018 and he was succeeded by Virendra.

As the State Security Advisor

The state government, however, did not let Kar Purkayastha go even after his retirement. The Government has created a post State Security Advisor on the lines of the National Security Advisor and Purkayastha was supposed to fill the post.