ECI transfers IPS officer Saumya Roy to ‘non-election post’

Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Tuesday, directed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Bengal to transfer IPS officer Saumya Roy to a non-election-related post with immediate effect.

Roy was acting as the Deputy Commissioner of the South West (Behala) division of Kolkata Police.

The poll panel also directed the CEO to send the names of three eligible officers for replacing Roy, latest, by 3 pm on Wednesday. Roy is the husband of Arundhati Moitra popularly known as Lovely Maitra, an elected Trinamool Congress MLA of

Sonarpur Dakshin.

This isn’t the first time the poll panel removed Roy to a non-election-related post. Before the Assembly elections in Bengal in 2021, the ECI had shifted Roy when they came across reports of him being the husband of Lovely Moitra who was contesting the Assembly polls on TMC’s ticket.

Roy was then posted as the Superintendent of Police of Howrah (Rural) and was given a non-election-related post. His transfer was based on the general principle that “close relatives of active public representatives may not be assigned such duties during elections which may create any perception of biases/ partiality.”

The ECI, soon after the announcement of Lok Sabha elections, removed Rajeev Kumar, Director General of Police (DGP), Bengal and appointed Sanjay Mukherjee in his place.

Meanwhile, general special observer Alok Sinha, a retired IAS officer of the 1986 batch and special police observer Anil Kumar Sharma, a retired IPS of the 1984 batch appointed by the ECI for Bengal elections are scheduled to arrive in the state on Wednesday.

Two special observers will be providing critical feedback and vigilant oversight for a level playing field in Bengal elections which is slated to take place in seven phases from April 19 till June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.