Election Commission orders transfer of 2 IAS, 6 IPS officers in Odisha

The Election Commission’s order comes amid allegations by the BJP of unholy nexus between officials and the ruling Biju Janata Dal

Published on: Apr 2, 2024, 17:36:38 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday ordered immediate transfer of two Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and six Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in Odisha ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state amid allegations by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of unholy nexus between officials and the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

The Election Commission has asked the Odisha chief secretary to transfer these eight officers to non-election related posts. (PTI File Photo)

In a letter to Odisha chief secretary PK Jena, ECI secretary Rakesh Kumar asked to transfer these eight officers to non-election related posts. The officers are inspector general of police (central range) Ashis Singh, Cuttack district collector Vineet Bharadwaj, Jagatsinghpur district collector Parul Patwari, Cuttack deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Kanwar Vishal Singh, Khordha superintendent of police (SP) Jugal Kishore Banoth, Rourkela SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra, Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek Kumar and Angul SP Sudhanshu Sekhar Mishra.

The Commission has asked the Odisha chief secretary to provide a panel of three eligible officers to replace each of the above posts. “Kindly send a compliance report to the Commission latest by 5pm, April 2,” the ECI’s letter said.

The ECI’s order came a couple of days after the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Berhampur, Pradip Panigrahy, alleged that an IG-ranked IPS officer was threatening politicians in Ganjam district asking them not to leave the BJD.

Apart from the BJP, other political parties had earlier apprised the ECI accusing several officers of biasness, misusing their position and working for a particular party.

Earlier on March 21, the ECI issued transfer orders for non-cadre officers posted at leadership positions such as district magistrate (DM) and superintendent of police (SP) in Odisha. The officers were collector of Dhenkanal and SPs of Deogarh and Cuttack Rural.

Last month, the state unit of the BJP had alleged that as many as eight police officials in the Bhubaneswar Parliamentary constituency had remained in the same place of posting for over 10 years and have not been transferred, violating ECI guidelines.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Home/Cities/Others/Election Commission Orders Transfer Of 2 IAS, 6 IPS Officers In Odisha