Election Commission Transfers Non-IAS DMs, Four From West Bengal, Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls; TMC Says BJP Using Every Trick

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday (21 March) transferred four District Magistrates (DM) in West Bengal. This comes after ECI changed two Bengal DGPs within 24 hours.

First, controversial DGP Rajeev Kumar was removed and then the ECI reversed its decision to appoint Vivek Sahay as the DGP and appointed his junior in the IPS cadre by a year, Sanjoy Mukherjee.

The latest order removes Purba Bardhaman DM Bidhan Chandra Roy, Purba Medinipur DM Tanvir Afzal, Birbhum DM Purnendu Kumar, and Jhargram DM Sunil Agarwala, Indian Express reported.

The order is part of an order to transfer eight SPs/SSPs and five DMs in four states of Gujarat, Punjab, Odisha and West Bengal as these DMs and SPs were not conferred IAS and IPS respectively and hence were non-cadre.

However, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale alleged that these transfers show that the BJP is using "every trick in the book" and asserted Bengal will give "a befitting answer."

The ECI said that these transfers are to maintain "a level playing field in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024... Post of DM and SP in the district are encadred for officers from IAS and IPS respectively."

Earlier, all state governments were instructed to promptly transfer non-encadred officers from their current roles as DM and SP/SSP, with immediate effect, and submit a compliance report to the ECI.

Voting in West Bengal will take place in seven phases from 19 April to 1 June 1 across 42 Lok Sabha seats. The results will be declared on 4 June.