Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's 'district police chief' brother transferred

New Delhi | Kolkata: The poll panel on Thursday issued a fresh set of transfer orders, moving out eight 'non-cadre' SPs/SSPs and five non-cadre district magistrates in Gujarat, Punjab, Odisha and West Bengal, besides the district police chiefs in Assam and Punjab. The latter are learnt to be the brothers of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Khadoor Sahib Jasbir Singh Gill, who have been posted at Assam's Sonitpur and Punjab's Bhatinda, respectively. They have been moved out in view of their "kinship or familial association with the elected political representatives".

The poll panel said in a statement on Thursday that the officials in these two districts have been transferred as "pre-emptive measures to dispel any apprehensions of the administration being biased or perceived to be compromised".

Among others moved out are SPs of Chhota Udaipur and Ahmedabad Rural districts in Gujarat, SSPs of Pathankot, Fazilka, Jalandhar Rural and Malerkotla districts in Punjab, DM of Dhenkanal and SPs of Deogarh and Cuttack Rural districts in Odisha and DM of Purba Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman and Birbhum districts.


ECI has taken a tough stance on non-cadre district magistrates and superintendent of police, saying that these posts are encadred for officers from Indian Administrative and Indian Police Service respectively.

ECI had earlier removed the home secretaries in six states for holding dual charge, including in the office of their respective chief ministers.

Meanwhile, its move to transfer the West Bengal DGP earlier followed by transfers of four district magistrates on Thursday sparked considerable political mudslinging, with the ruling Trinamool Congress claiming that West Bengal was being purposely targeted. Congress and CPI-M welcomed the ECI decision.

West Bengal PCC president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed ECI can remove anyone, but the Commission should ensure that people can vote fearlessly.

Trinamool spokesperson Chandrima Bhattacharya said all these moves prove that Bengal is a target and hoped that the poll panel keeps this in mind.