Thaindian News

Kolkata, March 28 (IANS) Ahead of the April-May West Bengal assembly elections, three state officers, including a deputy inspector general of police, have been transferred on the Election Commission’s instructions, Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh said Monday.

Malda District Magistrate Promal Samanta, East Midnapore Superintendent of Police Ajit Sarkar and Deputy Inspector General of Police (Mindapore range) Anil Kumar were transferred. They would be replaced by Rajesh Singh, K. Jayraman and Vineet Goyel respectively.

Both Vineet Goyel and Neeraj Singh were posted in Kolkata Police as Joint Commissioner (Traffic) and Joint Commissioner (Administration) respectively.

Ghosh said at the state secretariat - Writers’ Buildings - in the evening that Neeraj Singh will take charge as Deputy Inspector general of Police (Murshidabad range). The post was laying vacant.

When asked whether the officers who were transferred were under the scanner of the Election Commission, Ghosh said: “The order was issued as per the instruction of the EC.”

Sources in the Writers’ Building said that the order was issued following a meeting between the chief secretary and West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S.Y. Quraishi said the EC was keeping a watch on three-four officers, including police superintendent and district magistrate, in poll-bound West Bengal for “not working neutrally”.

Quraishi told reporters here Mar 23: “We have three to four officers of different levels under observation for not working neutrally. These officers include police superintendent and district magistrate.”