LUCKNOW: The Election Commission (EC) late on Saturday directed the UP government to remove director-general (DGP) of police Brij Lal and principal secretary home Fateh Bahadur Singh. Brij Lal and Singh were replaced by Atul Kumar and Manjit Singh. Opposition parties had demanded the removal of the officers to ensure free and fair elections. The BSP called the removal of the two officers belonging to scheduled castes as "an insult to the dalit community". BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra announced the EC order to remove the officers. When contacted, UP Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha, said he has not received any official communique from the EC or the government about the transfers. Even Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S Y Quraishi did not mention the transfers while speaking to reporters in the evening.
Quraishi was on a two-day visit to Lucknow to review the election process. He said he has received complaints from opposition parties demanding removal of a number of officers whom they claimed were "biased".
Officials have been directed to work in a free and fair manner, said Quraishi. Three hours after his press conference, Mishra informed the EC decision to transfer the DGP and the home secretary.
Quraishi was on a two-day visit to Lucknow to review the election process. He said he has received complaints from opposition parties demanding removal of a number of officers whom they claimed were "biased".
Officials have been directed to work in a free and fair manner, said Quraishi. Three hours after his press conference, Mishra informed the EC decision to transfer the DGP and the home secretary.