Srinagar- The Jammu and Kashmir administration has transferred several officials, including deputy commissioners, a couple of weeks after the Election Commission directed the poll-bound states to transfer out officers posted in their home districts.
At least 198 upper and middle rung officers were transferred in 12 hours in the civil administration and police department. In a major shakeup in the Jammu and Kashmir Police, several senior officers were transferred by the administration on Friday while the intelligence wing got a new chief.
In three separate orders, the Jammu and Kashmir administration transferred senior police officers with immediate effect.
This came a day after senior IPS officer Nalin Prabhat was appointed as Special DG of Jammu and Kashmir Police. He will assume the role of the force’s chief following the retirement of R R Swain on September 30.
Late on Thursday night, the general administration department of Jammu and Kashmir issued orders for 89 transfers and posting with immediate effect. The transfers include those of deputy commissioners of Poonch and Bandipora districts, secretaries, commissioners, director generals, managing directors, and directors of several departments.
An order issued by the government said, “In the interest of administration, it is hereby ordered that Nitish Kumar, IPS (AGMUT: 1999) ADGP CID is posted as Head of CID, relieving R R Swain, IPS (AGMUT: 1991) DGP, J&K of the additional charge of the post.”
In a separate document, the government ordered the transfer of 12 senior police officers including Inspectors General of Police (IGPs) and Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs).
Bhim Sen Tuti, IGP (Hqrs) PHQ, with additional charge of IGP (POS) and IGP Traffic, has been posted as IGP (POS) with additional charge of IGP (Hqrs) PHQ, IGP (Technical Services) and IGP (Telecom).
Sunil Gupta, DIG, Jammu-Samba-Kathua Range, has been posted as Incharge IGP Crime, while Sujit Kumar, DIG CID, has been posted as Incharge IGP Security. Shiv Kumar has been posted as the new DIG Jammu-Samba-Kathua Range.
Vivek Gupta, DIG, north Kashmir range, has been posted as Incharge IGP Railways J&K, and M Suleman Choudhary, DIG Personnel (PHQ), has been posted as Incharge IGP traffic, the order said.
The government also shifted the DIG of the Police’s State Investigation Agency (SIA), Ajeet Singh, who has been posted as DIG Traffic Kashmir.
The order said Vinod Kumar has been posted as incharge DIG Armed Jammu, while as Maqsood-ul-Zaman has been posted as incharge DIG North Kashmir.
Mubassir Latifi Ameer has been posted as incharge DIR(Pers) PHQ, while Rashmi Wazir has been posted as DIG security, J&K, and Rajeshwar Singh has been posted as incharge DIG SIA.
In another order, the J&K administration shifted the police chiefs of several districts including those from the Jammu region that has witnessed an upsurge in terror attacks in recent months.
The districts of Jammu, Ramban, Kathua, Reasi, Udhampur, Doda and Poonch have got new police chiefs.
Gurinderpal Singh has been posted as SSP Baramulla, Nagpure Amod Ashok as SSP Udhampur, Mumtaz Ahmed as SSP Poonch, Mohammad Aslam as SSP Doda, Deepika as SSP Kathua, Gaurav Sikawar as SSP Reasi, Kulbir Singh as SSP Ramban, and Joginder Singh as the new SSP Jammu, the order said.
The districts in the Kashmir Valley that also got new police chiefs include Shopian and Ganderbal. While Ananyat Ali Choudhary has been posted as the SSP of Shopian, Wasim Qadri is the new SSP of Ganderbal.
Similarly, Amritpal Singh has been posted as SSP (Tech) CID Hqrs, Sandeep Gupta as AIG (Tech) PHQ, Anuj Kumar as CO IR-11, Tunushree as SP SIA Kashmir, Mohita Sharma as AIG (Prov) PHQ, Ashok Kumar Sharma as CO 1 Border Batallion Jammu, Yougal Kumar Manhas as SSP SIA Jammu, Al-Tahir Geelani as AIG (procurement) PHQ, Shaheen Wahid as SSP Telecom Jammu, Sandeep Bhat as Additional SP Udhampur, and Baljeet Singh as Additional SP Nowshera.
The developments in the Union Territory’s police force as well as several transfers and posting of officials in the civil administration are seen by many as a precursor to the assembly election in the Union Territory that are to be held from September 18.
The Election Commission of India on July 31 asked the Union Territory administration to transfer out officers posted in their home districts, an exercise it holds ahead of conducting elections.
It has been following a consistent policy that officers directly connected with the conduct of elections in a poll-bound state or Union Territory are not posted in their home districts or places where they have served for a considerably long period.
The poll panel had issued similar directions to the chief secretaries of the poll-bound states of Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand. The terms of the legislative assemblies of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand end on November 3, November 26 and January 5, respectively.
NC, PDP Smell Rat
The National Conference on Friday called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to thoroughly investigate the massive transfers in the police and civil administration, and demanded immediate suspension of the implementation of such orders.
National Conference (NC) Vice President and former chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, Omar Abdullah on Friday questioned the massive reshuffle in the Police and civil administration ahead of the assembly polls and that the party was already to participate in the polls.
However, he said that despite the Election Commission stressing on the free and fair elections and security concerns as well, he wants to request the EC and a letter will be sent to the commission as well about the massive transfer in the last 24 hours. The EC should take note of it, he said, adding that there are apprehensions that such a massive transfer is meant to benefit the ruling BJP and its A and B teams.
He also said that massive changes have been made in the last 24 hours in the shape of transfers; even the DGP has been changed, which has never been witnessed in the past. “We were expecting the existing DG to be given extension, but we have apprehensions over the massive transfers ahead of the polls. Who visits the offices on August 15, but here on this day, the Civil Secretariat and Police Headquarters were opened. They knew that the elections were to be announced and these transfers are aimed to benefit the BJP and its allies. Instead of a level field, we are being provided the unbalanced field,” he said.
“The transfers should be examined as it is against the guidelines and must be stopped,” he said.
National Conference general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar said the move seems “clearly intended to undermine” the integrity of the electoral process, which restricts such transfers to prevent the ruling party from gaining an undue administrative advantage over the opposition.
“Why has a massive reshuffle been ordered in the police and administration since last evening, and today morning, seemingly to pre-empt the Election Commission’s announcement? It appears to have been orchestrated by a BJP-appointed LG to benefit his party and its allies,” Sagar said in a statement.
“The LG government has strategically shaken up the entire administrative set up compromising the principles of free and fair elections,” he added.
The National Conference called on the ECI to “thoroughly investigate this blatant attempt” and to immediately suspend the implementation of these orders.
“Around 150-200 transfers happened abruptly and arbitrarily. The LG administration’s behaviour is full of prejudice and bias in favour of the BJP. Our concern is that elections should be conducted free, fair and transparent,” Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti, daughter of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, said.
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