When the sensational Park Street rape case - involving an Anglo-Indian woman - came to light in February last year, Banerjee described the matter as "cooked up", meant only to malign her government.
Within hours, Pachnanda parroted Banerjee at a media conference.
One gutsy woman officer, however, went ahead with the probe. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Damayanti Sen cracked the case and arrested most of the culprits.
Within six weeks, she was transferred and made deputy inspector general of police, training, Barrackpore, considered a "garage posting" for an IPS officer who had been entrusted complex criminal cases in the metropolis.
Pachnanda has since been under the scanner of both the media and former top cops.
Banerjee still reposed full faith in her officer.
