Election Commission transfers eight Bengal officials

Kolkata, April 7 (IANS) The Election Commission Monday ordered transfer of eight West Bengal officials including five district police chiefs and one district magistrate from their posts.

The Commission's order, which came a day after the full bench of the poll panel held wide consultations with state officials and political parties, was sent to the state chief secretary Sanjay Mitra during the day.

The superintendents of police (SPs) - in charge of West Midnapore, Bardhman, Birbhum, Malda and North 24 Parganas districts - were involved in the reshuffle along with the district magistrate of North 24 Parganas. Two additional district magistrates were also relieved of poll duties.

The commission asked the state government to implement the orders by Tuesday and said the the shifted officials have to be kept away from Lok Sabha poll related duty.

"As regards the posting of the existing officers who are to be shifted, the Commission has said the state government may post them on non-election related and non-field posts on intimation to the Commission," chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta told reporters here.

Omkar Singh Meena has been posted in place of Sanjay Bansal as district magistrate of North 24 Parganas.

In other changes, Alok Rajoria, the SP of Birbhum has been shifted to the vacant post of SP of Jhargram police district.

"Sheesh Ram Jhajharia will be posted as SP Midnapore district in place of Bharati Ghosh, and Sayyed Waqar Raza will be SP Murshidabad in place of Humayun Kabir," he said.

Miraz Khalid replaces Sayyed M.H. Mirza as SP Burdwan while Rashid Munir Khan is the new Birbhum SP in place of Rajoria and B. Kumar takes over as SP Malda in place of R. K. Yadav.

"Kaushik Bhattacharya has been appointed as returning officer (RO) from Mathurapur parliamentary constituency in place of Alokesh Prasad Roy.

"ADM West Midnapore Arindam Dutta towill be replaced by Vaibhav Srivastava," he said.