Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has filed a writ petition in Calcutta High Court against Odisha-cadre IPS officer Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, accusing him of “serious misconduct” and breaching neutrality while serving as a Police Observer for the ongoing West Bengal Assembly elections.
The 2017-batch officer, currently on deputation or assigned duties in West Bengal, was appointed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as Police Observer for four constituencies in South 24 Parganas district, including areas under Diamond Harbour police limits. TMC has alleged that he held an “unofficial, undisclosed, and unrecorded” meeting with BJP candidate Gour Sundar Ghosh from Magrahat Paschim (West) Assembly constituency.
According to the petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution, the alleged meeting took place on April 20 at Sagarika Tourist Lodge in Diamond Harbour, where the officer reportedly stayed in Room 208 instead of using his official accommodation at the IPS Mess in Alipore.
The TMC has submitted purported CCTV footage and other evidence to the court, claiming the interaction with the BJP candidate and possibly other party leaders violated the strict protocols and code of conduct expected from an Election Commission observer, whose role is to ensure free, fair, and impartial polling.
The party had also earlier lodged a complaint with the EC, alleging that “Police Observer for Diamond Harbour, Parmar Smit Parshottamdas, has been caught red-handed”.
ECI sources, however, had dismissed the allegations. “All the meetings are being done at the conference hall of that hotel. The said officer is not staying at that hotel, but can hold meetings there as it is a designated place for meetings as per orders of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). There was nothing secret in that meeting,” the Indian Express reported, quoting a source, posted in West Bengal.
The West Bengal unit of the BJP had also clarified that the ‘official’ meeting pertained to TMC workers creating hindrances in the BJP’s campaign in the state.
Sources have attributed the face-off to suspension of five police officers in Diamond Harbour for alleged “serious misconduct” and “failure to maintain neutrality” based on a report submitted by the IPS officer.
