Poll panel removes police chief in Bengal, home secretaries in 6 states
New Delhi, India - Ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday issued orders for the removal of West Bengal’s Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Iqbal Chahal along with some other senior officials from various states.
The ECI has also ordered the removal of certain key officials of six states in what it termed ‘a decisive move towards upholding the principles of free, fair and transparent elections’.
Home secretaries in six states-namely Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been asked to step down. Additionally, the secretaries of the General Administrative Department in Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh have been removed.
The DGP had been in the spotlight after the BJP and other opposition parties criticised the Bengal police for alleged inaction in giving justice to the victims of Sandeshkhali.
The Sandeshkhali area had been witnessing unrest after women protestors sought justice against alleged atrocities committed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides.
Meanwhile, the Election commission also directed all the State governments to transfer
officers connected with election-related work, who have completed three years or are in their home districts.
Maharashtra had not complied with the directions in respect of few municipal commissioners and some addi
tional/deputy municipal commissioners. While conveying displeasure to the chief secretary, the commission directed the transfer of Brihanmumbai municipal corporation commissioner and the additional/deputy commission
ers with the direction to report by 6pm on Monday.
The chief secretary was further directed to transfer all the similarly placed municipal commissioners and additional/deputy municipal commissioners of other corpo
rations in Maharashtra.
CEC Rajiv Kumar, recently during the press conference for the announcement of Schedule for general elections 2024, had emphasised on the commission’s resolve and commitment to maintaining a level playing
field and ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.
The commission meeting, chaired by Rajiv Kumar, comprising of election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu was held at noon on Monday.
The officials who have been removed in these seven states were found to be holding dual charges in the office of the chief minister in respective states which may potentially compromise or be seen to be compromising the impartiality and neutrality required during the electoral process, the order said.
BJP trying to ‘grab’ ECI, says TMC
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh on Monday hit out at the BJP over the removal of the West Bengal’s DGP and said that the BJP was trying to ‘grab’ the ECI and other such organisations to fulfil their political purpose.
Speaking to ANI Ghosh said: “The BJP is trying its best to grab organisations like ECI and others. They are trying their best to grab and monitor their jobs only to fulfil their political purpose. So, according to their programme, their planning, and requests from different states, they have done this.”
“The BJP is trying to help their state organisations because they know that in the elections, the BJP will be defeated in most of the seats in West Bengal. We are confident that the BJP may transfer a few of the officers but the public is with the Trinamool Congress and Didi (Mamata Banerjee). The TMC will defeat the BJP,” said the TMC leader.