New Delhi, March 21
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday transferred district police chiefs in Punjab, who are kin or have familial association with the elected political representatives.
The EC has appointed Himanshu Agarwal, who was the DC of Gurdaspur, as the new DC of Jalandhar. Likewise, Vishesh Sarangal has been appointed as DC of Gurdaspur.
The poll body ordered the transfer of SSPs of five districts in Punjab, including Bathinda SSP Harmanbir Singh Gill, ahead of the elections.
Gill, the brother of Congress MP from the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat Jasbir Singh Gill (Dimpa) was removed given “his kinship or familial association with the elected political representative”.
“The Bathinda SSP has been transferred by the ECI in view of their kinship or familial association with the elected political representative. The officials have been transferred as pre-emptive measures to dispel any apprehensions of the administration being biased or perceived to be compromised,” EC sources said.
The EC also ordered immediate transfers of several non-cadre officers who are posted at leadership positions as DM and SP in Punjab, Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal.
The SSPs of Pathankot, Fazilka, Jalandhar Rural and Malerkotla districts have also been transferred.
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