The Election Commission of India has ordered the transfer of several senior administrative and police officials in West Bengal ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
The move led to protests by the ruling All India Trinamool Congress, whose members walked out of the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
According to a letter issued by the Election Commission on March 15, the poll body directed the transfer of the state's chief secretary and the principal secretary of home and hill affairs. The commission said the decision was taken after reviewing the preparedness of the state administration for the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, several Trinamool Congress leaders criticised the decision and protested in Parliament. TMP MP Sagarika Ghose also criticised the move.
"The manner in which the Election Commission transferred the Bengal Home Secretary and Chief Secretary at 4 am in the dead of night is unacceptable. The Election Commission has these powers, but it is misusing them to damage the elected government in Bengal. That's why our party walked out of Parliament for the entire day," she was quoted as saying by TOI.
Responding to the criticism, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the Election Commission's decision. He said the commission has the "constitutional authority" to carry out such transfers and criticised the Trinamool Congress for raising the issue in Parliament.
According to the report, the Election Commission removed two senior officials from the administration led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty was transferred and replaced by Dushyant Nariala, an IAS officer from the 1993 batch. The Principal Secretary for Home and Hill Affairs Jagdish Prasad Meena was replaced by Sanghamitra Ghosh, an IAS officer from the 1997 batch.
The reshuffle also included changes in several senior police positions in the state. Siddh Nath Gupta (IPS 1992 batch) was appointed as Director General and Inspector General of Police, West Bengal. Nataraj Ramesh Babu (IPS 1991 batch) was appointed Director General of Correctional Services.
Ajay Mukand Ranade (IPS 1995 batch) was posted as Additional Director General and Inspector General of Police, Law and Order. Ajay Kumar Nand (IPS 1996 batch) was appointed Commissioner of the Kolkata Police.
The commission also said that the officials who have been transferred will not be assigned to any election-related duties until the completion of the election process. State authorities have been asked to submit compliance reports by 3 pm on March 16.
The reshuffle comes after the announcement of the Assembly election schedule by the Election Commission. Polls will be held in four states, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam, as well as the Union Territory of Puducherry.
In West Bengal, voting will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while the counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
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