Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday issued a notification ordering the transfer of the District Collector of Dhenkanal and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of Deogarh and Cuttack Rural districts in Odisha.
According to an official notification issued by the ECI today, the Commission ordered the transfer of eight en-cadre SPs and SSPs and five 5 non-cadre DMs in Odisha, Gujarat, Punjab, and West Bengal. The order notification pertains to districts where relatives of prominent politicians are holding charges as DM or SP taking forward its commitment to a level playing field in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
The posts of DM and SP in the district are en-cadre for officers from the Indian Administrative (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) respectively. The decision was taken after the Commission convened a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Shri Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.
The officers to be transferred are:
- Odisha: DM of Dhenkanal and SPs of Deogarh and Cuttack Rural districts
- Gujarat: SP of Chhota Udaipur and Ahmedabad Rural districts
- Punjab: SSP of Pathankot, Fazilka, Jalandhar Rural and Malerkotla districts
- West Bengal: DM of Purba Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman and Birbhum districts
Moreover, the Commission has also directed the transfer of SSP Bathinda in Punjab and SP Sonitpur in Assam because of their kinship or familial association with the elected political representatives. 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.
