EC orders suspension of senior IPS officer in Odisha CMO over interference in polls

Last month, the Bharatiya Janata Party had accused IPS officer DS Kutey of working for the Biju Janata Dal by staying at the Chief Minister's Office

Published on: May 28, 2024, 22:16:18 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Election Commission on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of senior IPS officer DS Kuttey working in Odisha chief minister's office for unduly interfering in conduct of election and asked another IPS officer Ashish Singh to present himself for detailed medical examination by a special medical board constituted by director AIIMS over similar allegations.

The ECI order said D.S. Kutey, a 1997-batch IPS who is special secretary to CM would be placed under suspension under relevant service rules for unduly interfering in conduct of election.

The ECI said Kuttey's headquarters is fixed at the Office of Resident Commissioner Odisha, New Delhi where he has to report by May 29 afternoon. "Chief Electoral Officer Odisha would provide to the Chief Secretary of Odisha draft of the charge sheet to be issued to Kutey and Odisha chief secretary would arrange chargesheet under relevant service rules by 5:00 pm of May 30," the order said.

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On Ashish Singh, the 2010-batch IPS now working as IG(CM security), the ECI said as he has been on medical leave since May 4, he would present himself for detailed medical examination by a special medical board constituted by the director of AIIMS, Bhubaneshwar not later than May 30.

"The Chief Electoral Officer would coordinate to ensure that Director AIIMS Bhubaneshwar for constituting a special medical board to ascertain illness and treatment being undergone," the ECI order said.

The ECI also ordered expeditious investigation in the case registered against Prashant Jagdev, BJP MLA candidate from Khordha assembly constituency who was arrested on Monday over allegations that he had damaged EVM in a polling booth.

The BJP on Tuesday alleged that Jagdev was illegally arrested as the CCTV footage of the polling booth showed Jagdev not having any role in the EVM machine manhandling.

Last month, the Bharatiya Janata Party had accused Kutey of working for the Biju Janata Dal by staying at the Chief Minister's Office demanding that his cellphones should be seized immediately and call details record (CDR) be retrieved. It also demanded action against Ashish Singh that he was unduly influencing the election even after being transferred from the post of IG Central range over similar allegations.

Early this month, the Election Commission ordered the transfer of senior Odisha bureaucrat Sujata R Kartikeyan, wife of BJD leader VK Pandian, from department of Mission Shakti, Odisha to a non-public dealing department after complaints of misuse of public office.

The BJP had alleged that Sujata through the department of Mission Shakti have been compelling and coercing the women SHGs, with the threat of stopping the government financial benefits, and thus making them propagate and influence the voters to vote for Biju Janata Dal in the upcoming Lok Sabha as well as Assembly elections. The 7 lakh women SHG groups being controlled by Mission Shakti have become an important vote bank for BJD over thelast two elections.

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

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