4 transferred by EC: Officer in charge of Nandigram on poll day now made SP Birbhum

The Election Commission of India has put Nagendra Nath Tripathy in charge of Birbhum district ahead of the phase six election in Bengal. He is the same officer who was put in charge of Nandigram by the EC during the second phase of polls on April 1, when voting was held in the second phase.

Reacting to the order, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien tweeted: “EC = Extremely Compromised; EC transfers 4 officers, 48 hours before poll and almost 45 days after the Model (Modi) Code of Conduct has come into effect. NN Tripathi, same person made in-charge of Nandigram, now shifted to Birbhum. Was State Govt consulted? Of course not!”

The EC transferred four police officers – including Birbhum SP Miraj Khalid – ahead of the sixth phase of election, scheduled on April 22. Nagendra Nath Tripathi – who was in charge of Nandigram when it went to the polls – has been made SP Birbhum now. On poll day in Nandigram, Trinamool Congress chief Banerjee (who is the party’s candidate in Nandigram of East Midnapore) sat inside a booth for nearly two hours as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress workers clashed outside. She alleged that the BJP was rigging some booths and the matter had been raised with the Election Commission. Sitting on a wheelchair Banerjee called up Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to inform him about the situation. Later, IPS officer Nagendra Nath Tripathi, who was deputed by the EC in Nandigram, went to the booth along with Election Commission officials to the CM and spoke with her. He also escorted her out of the booth.

In 2015, Tripathi was sent on compulsory leave by Banerjee for slapping a sweet shop owner during the municipal polls in Kolkata.

The EC today also transferred SP Purba Burdwan Bhaskar Mukherjee, and put Ajeet Kumar Singh in his place. Sukesh Jain, the police commissioner of Asansol-Durgapur was transferred and Mitesh Jain was placed in the position. Also transferred was Bolpur SDPO Abhishek Roy, and Nagraj Devarakonda was posted there.

Elections are scheduled in 43 seats for phase six on April 22 in four districts – parts of North 24 Parganas, Nadia, East Burdwan and Uttar Dinajpur.