Kolkata, March 9 : In a rare move, the state Police Headquarters (Bhabani Bhawan) in West Bengal has ordered the transfer of three women civic volunteers, a senior police officer said on Monday.

A directive to this effect has been issued. However, in recent years, there has been no known precedent of the state police headquarters issuing a formal transfer notice for civic volunteers.

Civic volunteers are not members of the state police force. The Calcutta High Court has already clarified this position. In an earlier case, the court ruled that civic volunteers cannot be appointed for law and order duties. The governmentâ??s own policy in that case also stated that they should not be engaged in the core functions of the police or in assisting officers in official police work.

The High Court had made it constitutionally clear that civic volunteers are not police personnel. Despite this, the transfer notice for the three women civic volunteers has been issued from Bhabani Bhawan. The reason for the transfer has not been specified.

During the erstwhile Left Front government, the Green Police could often be seen on the streets of Kolkata. After the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, the government issued an order to recruit civic volunteers. Initially, around 2,000 civic volunteers were appointed in the Howrah and Asansol Police Commissionerates.

This move marked the beginning of civic volunteer recruitment in the state. According to senior officials, the state government issued an administrative order for the recruitment process. These volunteers are usually engaged through local police stations, which means they do not have a direct administrative link with the state police headquarters.

Ahead of the state Assembly elections, the police administration has already seen several rounds of reshuffling, with senior IPS officers transferred across the state. The government also shifted several officers serving in police stations and police commissionerates before the elections. The transfer of three civic volunteers has now drawn attention in this context.

/IANS