In a major embarrassment to the SAD-BJP Government in Punjab, the Election Commission of India taking a strict action ordered the transfer of four senior cops of the Punjab Police along with three Deputy Commissioners on Tuesday.
Those transferred are ludhiana Commissioner of Police PS Gill, four district police chiefs — Mansa, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Moga, and three DCs — Sangrur, Patiala and Fazilka.
The transfer orders came after various political parties, including Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), moved the Election Commission charging these officials for favouring the ruling combine.
The report, with the State Home Secretary’s reply, was sent to the Central Commission a day before by the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) VK Singh, and the order were received on Tuesday evening.
Acting tough, the Commission has transferred ludhiana police commissioner PS Gill, on the allegations by the sitting MlA and independent candidate in ludhiana Simranjeet Singh Bains for making his appointment on the post for favouring the ruling combine’s candidate Manpreet Singh Ayali during the elections.
Bains cited an instance where the case was registered only against his supporters when a scuffle broke out between the supporters of the two candidates — Bains and Ayali.
Similarly, Mansa SSP has been transferred on the compliant filed against him by the Congress. On complaint of Congress MlA from Ferozepur Parminder Singh Pinki for taking sides of the ruling alliance candidates, Ferozepur SSP has been transferred out.
In the same way, the district police chief of Fazilka and Moga were also shifted on the basis of complaints against them, which were thoroughly examined by the Commission.
Among the DCs, the transfer of Sangrur DC Dr Indu Malhotra came after the sitting MP and Congress candidate Vijay Inder Singla filed a compliant for not taking any action against the State Government for distributing cycles to the girl students of the Government schools despite Model Code of Conduct being into effect. Even the State Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh had given clean chit to the Sangrur DC in the matter in his report sent to the central poll panel. Patiala DC GK Singh, in his report to the Commission on liquor distributed in open during an Akali candidate’s rally in Patiala, has maintained that the pictures of the event appeared in various newspapers are of some other event, and not the Akali rally — that eventually gone against him.