EC orders transfer of police commissioner, collector

Madurai, June 13 (UNI) Cracking the whip, the Election Commission (EC) has ordered transfer of top revenue and police officials, including city police commissioner and district collector.

The officials were transferred on charges of laxity in enforcing the election rules for the June 26 bypoll to Madurai West Assembly constituency.

District Collector S S Jawahar, Commissioner of Police (CoP) and ADGP A subramanian and returning officer A Narayanamurthy, besides, a deputy commissioner of police and an assistant commissioner of police were among the six transferred as per the EC's order.

The EC took the decision citing reasons that the convoy of M K Azhagiri, son of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, accompanying the Congress candidate, was allowed inside the barricaded Collectorate complex while the vehicles of leaders of the Puthiya Thamizhagam (PT) and BJP were denied entry at the gate itself.

Further, in violation of the rules, a very large group was allowed to gatecrash into the returning officer's office during the filing of nominations of the Congress nominee, K S K Rajendran.

Police remained a mute spectator to all these developments, inviting criticism from BJP leader and former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan and PT President and Dalit leader K Krishnasamy.

Complaints were lodged before the election observers in this regard.

UNI