EC Transfers Top Bengal Officials Ahead of Polls
You are choosing those who will follow BJP orders. But whoever you send will work for us, the public and Bengal.
Kolkata: The Election Commission (EC) shunted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's five favourite bureaucrats at the top level of her government in an unprecedented revamp since Sunday midnight after announcing a two-phase Assembly polls in the state. All of them have been kept out of any poll duty.
The list included state chief secretary Nandini Chakravorty, state home secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena, state director general of police Peeyush Pandey, DG (law and order) Vineet Goyal and Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar among others. Fuming over the overnight reshuffle, Banerjee predicted that whoever would be appointed by the EC, would work for her and that her government would not change in the ensuing election.
Targeting the EC and BJP, the Trinamul Congress supremo alleged after leading a protest rally over fuel crisis in the city, “What did you do last night?! I got a message around 1 am. A party with the help of someone is conducting a covert action. The chief secretary is a Bengali woman. But they are anti-women. The rule earlier was that we used to send three names after they were sought. Later one of them used to be selected. But now it has become suo moto, Zamindari.”
She claimed, “You never cared about asking the state government. Shame on you! You not only removed efficient officers who are Bengali like Chakravorty and Sarkar but also those, Meena, Pandey and Goyal who are non-Bengali. You are choosing those who will follow BJP orders. But whoever you send will work for us, the public and Bengal. You can change district magistrates and superintendents of police on BJP’s instructions for one month and a half. But you cannot change human beings and humanity. You can change everything. But the government will not change in Bengal.”
Protesting the decision, the Trinamul Congress staged a day-long walkout from the Rajya Sabha, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that officials were routinely removed in states where the BJP was not in power. The BJP, however, defended the poll panel, accusing the Opposition of trying to malign constitutional institutions.
According to the Commission’s order, DGP Peeyush Pandey and Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar have been replaced by Siddh Nath Gupta and Ajay Kumar Nad. Natrajan Ramesh Babu has been appointed DG Correctional Services, while Ajay Mukund Ranade will serve as ADG and IGP (Law and Order).
The poll panel on Sunday also appointed IAS officer Dushyant Nariala as the new chief secretary of West Bengal, replacing Nandini Chakravarty. Sanghamitra Ghose has been appointed principal secretary, home and hill affairs. The Commission directed that the transferred officials should not be assigned any election-related duties.
The Trinamul Congress criticised the reshuffle, calling it politically motivated. Lok Sabha MP Sougata Roy termed the move “wrong” and “a step against West Bengal”, while another MP Kirti Azad alleged that the Election Commission was functioning as an “extended arm of the BJP”.
Meanwhile, in Assam, the EC ordered the transfer and posting of several IPS officers. Somalin Shubhdarshini (IPS 2019) has been posted as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Majuli. R. Sheetal Kumar (IPS 2020) has been appointed as SSP of South Salmara, while Anchal Chauhan (IPS 2020) has been posted as SSP of Sadiya.
The Commission has also posted Sudhakar Singh (IPS 2013) as SSP of Chirang and Mohan Lal Meena (IPS 2016) as SSP of Dhemaji.
In Tamil Nadu, EC appointed new superintendents of police in four districts. D.N. Harikiran Prasad, D.V. Kiran Shruthi, Sujith Kumar and N. Shreenatha have been posted as SPs in Karur, Erode, Nagapattinam and Virudhunagar, respectively.
