EC Directs Odisha Govt To Remove Bargarh SP

Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the ensuing byelection to the Bijepur Assembly constituency in Bargarh district scheduled on February 24, the Odisha government has begun the process for removal of the district Superintendent of Police Jugal Kishore Banoth as per the directive of the Election Commission (EC) following allegations made by the BJP.

In a letter to the Director General of Police dated January 6, 2018, Additional Secretary, Home, AK Praseth has asked him to send a panel of three IPS officers for posting as SP, Bargarh.

The Home department has sent the letter to the DGP after the Additional Chief Secretary, Home received a letter from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Surendra Kumar on the same date asking him to recommend a panel of three names of regular recruit IPS officers belonging to Odisha cadre having adequate experience in the conduct of elections for appointment and posting of SP, Bargarh for the ensuing byelection to Bijepur Assembly constituency.

Meanwhile, the office of the Director General of Police on Wednesday sent the name of three IPS officers—Jayanarayan Pankaj, Pinak Mishra and K Sibasubramani to the Home Department.

The Home department will send the names of these three IPS offices to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) who will forward it to the Election Commission to select one of them as the next SP of Bargarh.

Reliable sources said the EC is most likely announce the name of the new Bargarh SP on Wednesday after receiving the three names of IPS officers recommended by the state government.

Notably, a delegation of the State BJP had met the EC in New Delhi on January 30 and submitted a list of senior officials of Bargarh district including the Collector Khagendra Kumar Padhi, SP Jugal Kishore Banoth, SDPO and BDOs of Bijepur, Gaisilat and Barpali Blocks alleging that they were trying to influence the voters on behalf of the ruling BJD government.

The delegation had also alleged that the Bargarh police has not taken any action against the BJD workers who had attacked the house of Manoranjan Meher, a local BJP leader on January 7.

Besides, the delegation had also requested the EC to take necessary measures like installation of CCTV cameras in all polling booths and deployment of Central para-military force in Bijepur constituency to ensure free and fair elections.