Bengal polls: ECI suspends police officer for negligence in duty

KOLKATA — The Election Commission of India (ECI) has suspended Hingalganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sandeep Sarkar in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, said officials on Friday. 

The order issued on Thursday night sought his immediate removal from duty. However, the reason for this suspension was not clear in the instructions. According to the Commission officials, this order pertains to negligence in duty.

State Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala has been asked to take action as per the Commission's instructions.

The Commission has ordered that the responsibility be immediately given to someone else in his place. Not only suspension but punitive action has also been ordered against Sandeep Sarkar. Incidentally, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is all set to hold a public meeting in Hingalganj on Friday. The Commission removed the OC of Hingalganj Police Station before his election campaign.

It is worth noting that Hingalganj will go to the polls in the second phase of voting on April 29. Before that, the ECI took the decision to suspend him. It is believed that this decision was made to tighten law and order in that area and increase surveillance during the elections.

The Commission has been reshuffling bureaucrats and IPS officers in the state since the announcement of the elections.

The ECI has removed several bureaucrats and police officers from their posts in the state and continued with the action. The Commission has made it clear that those being removed cannot be given any election-related work in the state.

The second phase of the Assembly polls in the state for the remaining 142 constituencies will be held on April 29.

​The results will be declared on May 4.

The first phase of polling saw an enthusiastic and unprecedented response from the people. The phase witnessed a near 93 per cent voting, with the final tabulation still awaited from the ECI.