 "Mainpur bypoll: EC raps police officers for failing to transfer officials")
The Election Commission on Thursday rapped SSPs of Etawah and Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh and sought explanations for them for failing to follow its transfer and posting policy ahead of the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll.
It also directed transfer of six sub-inspectors.
The commission's action came a day after the Samajwadi Party (SP) urged it to look into the failure of the state police to randomise police forces ahead of the December 5 bypoll necessitated following the death of party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav is pitted against BJP's Raghuraj Singh Shakya in the by-election.
In a letter to the Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer (CEO), the Election Commission (EC) directed the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Mainpuri to submit an explanation to it as to why disciplinary proceedings should not be initiated against him for "non-compliance of the commission's extant instructions and relevant provisions of Model Code of Conduct while carrying out transfer and posting of police personnel".
Similarly, the SSP of Etawah should also furnish an explanation as to why disciplinary proceedings should not be initiated against him for granting long leaves to station house officers of Vaidpura, Bharthana, Jaswantnagar and Chaubiya, without prior permission of the commission after imposition of the poll code, it said.
The state CEO has also been directed to ensure that force deployment relating to the Mainpuri bypoll is done strictly under the supervision of the general and police observers, following the laid down procedure of randomisation.
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Randomisation of local police forces is a cornerstone of the extant instruction of the commission to ensure fairness, the poll panel said.
Under the EC's transfer and posting policy, the SSP of Mainpuri has been directed to immediately relieve sub-inspectors Suresh Chand, Kadir Shah, Sudhir Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Satya Bhan and Raj Kumar Goswami from police stations in assembly segments where they are currently posted.
The poll panel under Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had recently acted tough against the Gujarat police chief and chief secretary for failing to transfer officers despite its instructions. In Karnataka also, amid allegations of voter data theft, the EC had directed action against some officials.
It is usual for the poll panel to issue directions related to transfer and posting of police and administration officials ahead of Lok Sabha and assembly polls to ensure free and fair elections.