Lok Sabha polls: EC transfers district police chiefs over kinship with political leaders.

The Election Commission on Thursday transferred district police chiefs in Assam and Punjab, including the brother of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and shunted out "non-cadre" district magistrates and superintendents of police in some states.

The poll body said the non-cadre district magistrates (DMs) and superintendent of police (SPs) have been shunted out as the posts are meant for IAS and IPS officers.

The EC said it has adopted a tough stance against posting of non-cadre officers at leadership positions by transferring eight non-encadred SPs/SSPs and five non-encadred DMs in Punjab, Odisha, Gujarat and West Bengal.

It said some officials were transferred in view of their kinship or familial association with the elected political representatives, adding SSP Bathinda (Punjab) and SP Sonitpur (Assam) have been transferred.

Officials pointed out that while SP Sonitpur Sushanta Biswa Sarma is the brother of state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, SSP Bhatinda Harnanbir Singh Gill is the brother of Congress MP from Khadoor Sahib Jasbir Singh Gill.

The EC said the officials in these two districts have been transferred as a "pre-emptive measure" to dispel any apprehensions of administration being biased or perceived to be compromised.

The move comes ahead of the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls starting April 19.

Earlier, the poll body had ordered removal of home secretaries in six states for holding dual charge in the office of their respective chief ministers.

It had also transferred the West Bengal DGP to a non election related post.

The decision on transfers was taken after the Commission convened a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.

The officers to be transferred include SP of Chhota Udaipur and Ahmedabad Rural districts Gujarat; SSP of Pathankot, Fazilka, Jalandhar Rural and Malerkotla districts in Punjab.

Similarly, DM of Dhenkanal and SPs of Deogarh and Cuttack Rural districts in Odisha have also been removed along with DM of Purba Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman and Birbhum districts of West Bengal.

Under the directive, all respective state governments have been instructed to promptly transfer non-encadred officers from their current roles as DM and SP/SSP, with immediate effect, and submit a compliance report to the Commission.