As EC shunts out city top cop, total transfers touch 30

CHENNAI: The Election Commission on Sunday transferred the Chennai police commissioner and the ADGP (law and order), taking the total number of bureaucrats it has shunted to other positions to a record 30 ahead of the election.

In a clear sign that it is determined to curb misuse of power, the EC had a day earlier relieved DGP Ashok Kumar, five collectors, two SPs, and the state's intelligence chief.

Contrast this with the fact that only 11 officials were shifted ahead of the 2011 assembly poll and you will have some idea of the poll panel's perception of the lack of evenhanded ness in the system. The case of police commissioner T K Rajendran -who the EC replaced with 1986-batch IPS officer Ashutosh Shukla from Uttar Pradesh -is particularly startling given that he was elevated to the post only on October 10, 2015 after the transfer of S George. Also, the poll body had transferred only eight bureaucrats and police officers ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha poll.

The government transferred George to the prisons department and replaced him with Rajendran because it clearly believed that, should George continue in the post, the Election Commission would replace him.

The EC has also replaced ADGP (law and order) Jalath Kumar Tripathy with ADGP and Coastal Security Group chief C Sylendra Babu.

Shukla took charge as the 102th Chennai city police commissioner at 7pm and Babu took charge as ADGP (law and order) at 9.30pm on Sunday. Addressing reporters af ter taking charge as police commissioner Shukla said, “I am happy to be posted as the new CoP . Enough paramilitary forces will be posted at sensitive polling booths in the city. I will ensure that the election process is a peaceful and fair in the city.“ Shukla said he would be available 24×7 and any citizen could contact him with information in connection with the election.

Former DGP Bholonath said it is not unusual for the EC to transfer senior police officers ahead of an election, but admitted that this was the number of transfers this time has been unprecedented.Bholonath was posted as the police DGP (elections) during the 2011 election.