Kolkata/New Delhi | In a move unprecedented in West Bengal's administrative history in terms of its scale, the Election Commission removed the state's bureaucratic and police top brass, including the chief secretary and the DGP, in the run-up to the next month's assembly polls.
Although the commission held pre-poll transfers of top bureaucrats and police officers of Bengal as individual cases in the past, never has it transferred the state chief secretary, home secretary, director general of police, Kolkata police commissioner and the ADG (law and order) -- the most crucial officers forming the crux of state administration -- at one go, forbidding them to take part in election-related activities.
The decision for the shake-up was taken hours after the announcement of the assembly poll schedule on Sunday.
While the commission's first order, issued late Sunday evening, resulted in the removal of the state's two top bureaucrats, Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty and Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena, a subsequent order, dated March 16, removed the state's DGP Peeyush Pandey and Kolkata CP Supratim Sarkar, who were among four top IPS officers in Bengal replaced ahead of the elections.
The commission appointed Dushyant Nariala, an IAS officer of the 1993 batch and additional chief secretary of the state's North Bengal Development department, as the state's chief secretary.
The poll panel ordered the appointment of Sanghamitra Ghosh, a 1997-batch IAS officer and secretary of the Women and Child Development department, as home secretary.
The EC appointed Siddh Nath Gupta, a 1992 batch IPS officer, as the director general of police, and brought in Ajay Kumar Nand (IPS-1996) as the new commissioner of Kolkata Police. Nand served as ADG (Counter Insurgency Force) prior to this posting.
The commission also replaced ADG (law and order) Vineet Goyal with Ajay Mukund Ranade (IPS-1995) and appointed Natarajan Ramesh Babu, an IPS officer of the 1991 batch, as DG (correctional services), in place of Siddh Nath Gupta, who held that position before the transfers.
The poll panel said its directions are to be implemented with immediate effect, and asked for a report of the joining of all the officers in their respective offices by 3 pm on Monday.
"...the officers transferred out shall not be posted in any election-related posts till the completion of elections," the communications, signed by commission secretary Sujeet Kr Mishra, said.
In May 2019, the commission transferred Atri Bhattacharya from his post of home secretary during the Lok Sabha elections following an instance of violence during a BJP rally in Kolkata.
The EC accused Bhattacharya of interfering with the electoral process by directing the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) regarding the deployment of central armed police forces (CAPF).
In April 2016, the commission had removed Rajeev Kumar, then Kolkata Police commissioner, in the middle of the six-phase state elections after opposition parties alleged partiality against him in handling complaints about the ruling TMC. Kumar was again transferred out by the EC from his position as the state's acting DGP in July 2024 ahead of the general elections that year.
Top EC officials justified the latest spate of transfers on grounds of ensuring administrative impartiality and strict adherence to law during the upcoming high-stakes elections, the process for which has now been initiated.
"Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in his press conference on Sunday, had assured that elections in West Bengal would be violence-free and peaceful. In pursuance of this objective, the ECI has transferred senior police officials of West Bengal, including the DGP and the Kolkata Police commissioner," a senior Election Commission official told PTI.
It bears recall that during the commission's full bench visit to Kolkata last week to review poll preparedness of the state, Kumar had, as per reports, reprimanded Goyal and questioned the absence of a Narcotics Advisory Committee in Bengal.
Kumar said the commission has instructed officers in the state to enforce the rule of law strictly without fear or favour.
"We have reviewed the law and order condition in the state and the entire government, led by its chief secretary, the DGP, the CPs and SPs, has assured the commission that the election will remain free of violence and intimidation," the CEC had said.
Kumar was unambiguous on the operational boundaries within which the commission expected the state officials to work during the poll process.
"All officials must work within the purview of law, constitutional provisions and EC's instructions. Any slackness in that regard will result in strict disciplinary action," he said.
The reshuffle was enforced in the wake of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress dispensation's constant criticism of the poll body over the ongoing SIR exercise in the state.
The assembly polls will be held in the state on April 23 and 29, and votes will be counted on May 4.
New Delhi | The Election Commission's (EC) decision to transfer top bureaucrats of West Bengal echoed in the Parliament House complex on Monday, as Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders slammed the poll panel over the move and staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha.
While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the move, the TMC found support in INDIA bloc ally Akhilesh Yadav, who accused the EC of working at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre.
Barely hours after announcing the West Bengal Assembly poll schedule, the EC transferred Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena and other top officials from their posts.
TMC leaders in the Rajya Sabha staged a walkout from the House in protest against the EC's decision, with party leader Derek O'Brien condemning the poll panel's midnight move to reshuffle the state's top administrative hierarchy.
Raising the issue just before the Zero Hour, TMC leader in the House O'Brien condemned the poll panel's move.
"In the dead of night, the chief secretary, the principal secretary and the home secretary have been removed by the EC. They have all the power to do it," O'Brien said, adding that his party is walking out of the House for the day in protest.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, however, said the EC is a constitutional authority and that questioning its decisions on the floor of the House is neither appropriate nor productive.
"If every member wants to question the decision of constitutional authorities like the courts and the EC, it is not wise. The EC has separate powers and those powers have been given to it," the BJP leader said.
He also accused the TMC and the Congress of "always attacking constitutional bodies", and said they are "misusing the time of this House".
TMC's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Sagarika Ghose also slammed the poll panel's move.
"The manner in which the EC transferred the West Bengal home secretary and chief secretary at 4 am is unacceptable," she said.
"There is an elected government in West Bengal, led by (Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee. The EC has these powers at the moment, but it is misusing those to damage the elected government in West Bengal. We have raised the matter in the House," Ghose said.
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav also hit out at the EC and questioned why officials in Uttar Pradesh are not being changed.
"Whenever there are elections in a state not ruled by the BJP, the first thing the EC does is change officials -- the DGP, the chief secretary and anyone who is against the BJP...," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister claimed.
He alleged that the EC takes such steps in collusion with the BJP and its government at the Centre.
"Why has the DGP in Uttar Pradesh never been changed? Did they remove the officials whose relatives contested elections?" he asked.
"It is an open secret, the whole country knows that the EC is working at the behest of the BJP," Yadav said.
Sukanta Majumdar of the BJP meanwhile said it is "natural" for the poll panel to transfer officials ahead of polls.
"This was natural.... The way these officials were appointed.... The chief secretary was appointed after superseding many as compensation because she had accompanied Mamata Banerjee during the ED raid (on I-PAC's office in Kolkata).... Such officials, who are biased, cannot be kept for elections," Majumdar said.
EC officials have said the top-level shake-up was in line with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's assertion that free-and-fair polls will be held in West Bengal.
The EC has transferred the state chief secretary, police chief, Kolkata police commissioner and others, and brought in new faces as their replacements, drawing sharp criticism from the TMC.
After the announcement of the poll schedule for West Bengal, the EC transferred Chakravorty, Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena, Director General of Police (DGP) Peeyush Pandey and Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar.
It said these officials would not be given poll-related assignments. The election watchdog added that the decision was taken following a review of the state's poll preparedness.
Polling for the West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases -- on April 23 and April 29 -- and the counting of votes will be taken up on May 4.