Amid an ongoing standoff between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the CM, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday, said she is “deeply shocked” by the transfer of several police officers and bureaucrats in the state and that the EC has “crossed all boundaries of decency and constitutional propriety.”
Mamata also said the ECI has acted with apparent bias, showing little regard for ground realities or the well-being of people, prompting her to approach the Supreme Court (SC). While the CM acknowledged that officers on election duty can be transferred by the ECI, she questioned the rationale behind several transfers within the last four days. These include the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary (Home and Hill Affairs), Director General and Inspector General of Police (DGP & IGP), other senior police and civil officers, District Magistrates (DMs), and other government officials. The moves have caused serious disruption to the administration.
“These large-scale transfers have been affected immediately following the announcement of elections, without any cogent reasons and in the absence of any allegation of violation of electoral rules or Model Code of Conduct by the concerned officers,” Mamata stated in her letter. The CM also mentioned that the SIR process is still ongoing in the state, and supplementary lists are not yet out, with little time left before the elections.
“In this context, transfer of numerous DEOs (District Electoral Officers) at this juncture appears to be driven by a clear mala fide intent, making it difficult for the new DEOs to attend and dispose of pending cases. Does this not tantamount to a mockery of democracy?” asked Mamata.
The CM went on to say that 15 senior police officers from the state have been deployed in other states without consulting the government or providing proper training to them. “It is strange that a day before their deployment as observers, they were removed and deemed ineligible for any election-related duties. Yet, in stark contradiction to their own directions, ECI appointed them as election observers in other states. This hastiness and unilateral allocation of duties is arbitrary, amounts to a misuse of authority, and reflects a serious overreach by the ECI,” Mamata added, calling it a direct interference in the state.
The CM raised concerns regarding the duties of police officers who perform vigilance work in the state. She also noted that March and April are months when storms, particularly Nor-Westers, cause damage to life and property, and that the transfer of senior police leadership during this period could hamper emergency response efforts. Mamata said that officers brought in from outside lack familiarity with the local terrain, leaving law and order solely dependent on the ECI.
“I am, therefore, constrained to conclude that these actions reflect a deliberate attempt to take cover under Article 324 while creating conditions that could push the State of West Bengal towards administrative instability and disorder. Such biased, hasty, and unilateral decisions are unprecedented and do no augur well for a healthy democracy,” Mamata further stated.
The CM emphasised that despite elections, her government continues to function and cannot be rendered ineffective by any authority, while asking the EC to refrain from taking further steps to transfer officials from West Bengal.
Election dates in five states were announced on Sunday, after which there has been a spate of transfers of officials in West Bengal.