Kolkata, April 4 – The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday directed the former Kolkata Police Commissioner, Supratim Sarkar, to be sent on deputation as a police observer in Tamil Nadu, which is also going to hold elections like West Bengal later this month.
However, Sarkar had pleaded with the Commission for relief from this deputation to Tamil Nadu on medical grounds, as confirmed by an insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal.
Just a few days before the announcement of polling dates for West Bengal, Sarkar was appointed as the Kolkata Police Commissioner by the West Bengal Government, replacing his predecessor, Manoj Kumar Verma.
However, the Commission removed him from that position after the Model Code of Conduct was in effect and also barred him from any election-related duty in West Bengal. Ajay Nana replaced Sarkar as per the directive of the ECI.
Even after that, there were persistent demands from the opposition parties, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party, to send Sarkar out of the state during the polling period. Finally, on Saturday, the Commission directed Sarkar to be sent on deputation as a police observer to poll-bound Tamil Nadu.
The contention of the BJP was that unless Sarkar was removed from the state during the period of polling in West Bengal, police officers like Sarkar would continue with their attempts to influence the polling process on behalf of the ruling Trinamool Congress, sitting in their respective positions in the state's police administration.
Currently, Sarkar is officiating as the Additional Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police. As per the direction of the Commission, Sarkar had been deputed as the police observer for the Tirunelveli, Ambasamudram, Palayamkottai, Nanguneri, and Radhapuram Assembly constituencies, all in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
Although Sarkar had pleaded for relief from this deputation to Tamil Nadu, the Commission has yet to decide whether his plea would be positively responded to or not.