The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday evening (March 29) transferred 184 inspector‑rank police officers in West Bengal as the state prepares for two‑phase Assembly elections, officials said. Of the officers moved, 153 belong to the West Bengal Police and 31 to the Kolkata Police, with most posted as inspectors‑in‑charge or officers‑in‑charge of police stations.
Earlier on March 29, the Commission also ordered the transfer of 83 officials, identified as Block Development Officers (BDOs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs). AROs assist returning officers in conducting and overseeing elections; BDOs are local administrative heads at the block level.
The transfers are part of a phased reshuffle the ECI has been implementing since it announced the Assembly poll schedule for West Bengal on March 15. The first round of orders affected top‑rank bureaucrats and senior police leadership — including the Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary, Directors General and Additional Directors General of Police. A subsequent wave moved mid‑level officials such as District Magistrates and police officers at the rank of Deputy Inspector General, Superintendent and Deputy Commissioner.
Sunday’s list represents the third and final phase targeting lower‑tier administration and police ranks. The ECI said this phase covers Additional District Magistrates, Sub‑Divisional Officers, Additional Superintendents, Deputy Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Assistant Commissioners, Inspectors and Block‑level administrators.
The transfers have drawn political criticism from the ruling Trinamool Congress. Party leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, have accused the Election Commission of conducting large‑scale reassignments at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A public interest litigation challenging the ECI’s transfer orders was heard this week in the Calcutta High Court, where the judgment has been reserved.
West Bengal’s Assembly elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with voting in 152 seats in the first phase and 142 in the second. Results are scheduled to be declared on May 4.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/bengal-polls-eci-transfers-184-inspector-ranking-police-officers
Category: India
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Publish Date: 2026-03-29 21:29:00
