Moving ahead with attempts to break the bureaucracy-politician nexus, the Election Commission on Thursday transferred 13 District Magistrates (DMs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs), who have not been promoted to IAS and IPS respectively, in four states: Gujarat, Punjab, Odisha, and West Bengal.

To ensure a level playing field in the Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat, the SPs of Chhota Udaipur and Ahmedabad Rural districts have been posted out, the EC said in a statement to the media.  Likewise, in Punjab, the SSP of Pathankot, Fazilka, Jalandhar Rural and Malerkotla districts have been shunted out. The EC said it transferred the DM of Dhenkanal and SPs of Deogarh and Cuttack Rural districts of Odisha. And, in West Bengal, the DM of Purba Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman and Birbhum districts too were forced out by the EC.

According to the EC, wherever relatives of prominent politicians are holding charges as DMs or SPs, have also been transferred.

Additionally, the Commission stated it has also directed for the transfer of SSP Bathinda in Punjab and SP Sonitpur in Assam in view of their kinship or familial association with the elected political representatives. The officials in these two districts have been transferred as pre-emptive measures to dispel any apprehensions of the administration being biased or perceived to be compromised. Under the directive, all respective state governments have been 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 Commission.

“Under the directive, all respective state governments have been 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 Commission,” EC said.

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