Major reshuffle in Bengal: EC removes DGP, Kolkata CP and other top bureaucrats a day after poll schedule announcement | India News
New Delhi: After the Election Commission (EC) ordered a major reshuffle of top bureaucrats in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha in protest. The incident took place during polling for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states.The EC, in a letter dated March 15, announced the transfer of West Bengal Chief Secretary and Home and Hill Affairs Principal Secretary. The election panel said the changes were made after reviewing the state’s preparedness for the upcoming assembly elections.Fellow Trinamool MPs Sagarika GhoshSlamming the EC, he said, “The way the Election Commission has transferred the Home Secretary and Chief Secretary of Bengal at 4 am is not acceptable. The Election Commission has this power, but it is misusing it to damage the elected government of Bengal. That is why our party has walked out of Parliament all day.”Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the EC, saying it had “constitutional authority” to make such a transfer and criticized the TMC for raising the issue in Parliament.
who has been transferred
EC removed two top officials from Mamata Banerjee’s administration:
- Chief Secretary: Nandini Chakraborty removed and replaced by Dushyant Nariyala (IAS-1993 batch)
- Principal Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs: Jagadish Prasad Meena has been replaced by Sanghamitra Ghosh (IAS-1997 batch).
Other original postings include:
- DG and IGP, West Bengal: Siddha Nath Gupta (IPS-1992)
- DG, Correctional Services: Natraj Ramesh Babu (IPS-1991)
- ADG & IGP, Law & Order: Ajay Mukanda Ranade (IPS-1995)
- Kolkata Police Commissioner: Ajay Kumar Nanda (IPS-1996)
The EC’s letter signed by Secretary Sujit Kumar Mishra said that this directive will come into effect immediately. The transferred officers will not be assigned to any election related work till the election is over. The compliance report is expected by March 16 at 3 pm.The reshuffle comes after the EC announced the election schedule for four states—West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam—and one union territory, Puducherry. The West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting on May 4.The move is seen as an attempt to ensure administrative neutrality during the elections, especially after the EC’s repeated criticism of the ongoing special summary revision exercise in the state.
