Kolkata, (UNI) In a fresh development ahead of the elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has cancelled the West Bengal government’s decision to reinstate a section of IPS officers who had earlier been removed from their posts.
The poll body, in a late-night directive issued on Wednesday, ordered that 15 of these police officers be immediately deployed outside the state for election-related duties.
According to the directive, the officers have been reassigned as election observers in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and have been asked to join their new assignments without delay.
The move comes shortly after the state government reinstated them in different roles, effectively overturning the Commission’s earlier decision to remove them from their positions in West Bengal and Kolkata Police.
The list of officers includes Akash Magharia, Alok Rajoria, Amandeep, Abhijit Bandyopadhyay, Bhaskar Mukhopadhyay, C Sudhakar, Dhritiman Sarkar, Indira Mukhopadhyay, Murali Dhar, Mukesh, Praveen Kumar Tripathi, Priyabrata Roy, Sandeep Karra, Rashid Munir Khan and Waqar Raza.
Among them, Murali Dhar was serving as the Police Commissioner of Bidhannagar, while Waqar Raza held the same position in Siliguri. Both had been removed earlier and are now part of the latest redeployment order.
The Commission’s latest action has raised eyebrows, particularly because most of these officers had not undergone the standard training required for election observers.
Sources indicate that their names were not included in the official training list prepared by the ECI.
Only Praveen Kumar Tripathi is said to have completed the observer training programme.
Despite this, Commission sources have maintained that such training is not mandatory for appointment as an observer.
However, the timing of the decision has triggered questions in administrative and political circles.
The rapid turnaround—from the state’s reinstatement order issued from Nabanna to the ECI’s countermanding directive within hours—has led to speculation about the urgency and rationale behind the move.
The development underscores the continuing tussle between the state administration and the Election Commission over control and deployment of officials in the run-up to the polls, with both sides asserting their authority in ensuring a free and fair electoral process. UNI SAG CDS
