Blame EC for law & order problem in Guj during polls: BJP

Ahmedabad, Oct 16 (UNI) Gujarat BJP today said the Election Commission (EC) will be held responsible for any law and order problem during or after the elections in view of its orders to transfer immediately eight senior IPS officers, including Director General of Police P C Pandey.

''If the EC wants to transfer IPS officers appointed by the Gujarat Home Department, then it (EC) should also take the responsibility for the law and order situation in the state, if anything goes wrong during or after the elections,'' said Vijay Roopani, state BJP general secretary here this evening.

Upset by the EC's transfer directive, the ruling Gujarat BJP expressed its unhappiness over the issue. The EC has also directed the government not to post all these senior-ranking IPS officers on any election-related works.

The EC yesterday issued orders in New Delhi that Mr Pandey should be immediately transferred by Gujarat government because of his doubtful role in post-Godhra riots and last Assembly elections.

Talking to mediapersons at the BJP headquarters here, Mr Roopani said the transfer orders of high-ranking IPS officers by the EC, without giving any logical reasons, has sent wrong message to the Gujarat Police and it would demoralise them.

He said ''The interference by the EC in transfer of the IPS rank officials has also sent wrong signals to the common people, as its directives directly put a question over the dutyboundness of the Gujarat police officials.'' The other officers who should be transferred include Ahmedabad city police commissioner J Mahapatra, Deputy Inspector General (Border Range) I M Desai, Superintendent of Police (Patan District) J N Rajgor, Superintendent of Police (Rajkot District) N D Solanki, Superintendent of Police (Tapi District) S K Gadhavi, Collector, (Valsad District) D H Brahmbhatt and Collector (Gandhinagar District) Sonal Mishra.

UNI