ECI orders suspension of 5 Bengal cops for 'serious misconduct' during polls

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered the suspension of five police officers in West Bengal and directed disciplinary proceedings against them for “serious misconduct” and an alleged failure to maintain neutrality during the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, in the wake of an unusually large-scale reshuffle of officials ahead of polling.

In a communication to the state chief secretary, the ECI said the action followed a report submitted by West Bengal's chief electoral officer Manoj Agarwal examining the conduct of police personnel during election duty.

The officers named for suspension are additional superintendent of police Sandip Garai, SDPO Sajal Mondal, Diamond Harbour police station inspector-in-charge Mausam Chakraborty, Falta police station inspector-in-charge Ajay Bag and Usthi police station officer-in-charge Subhechha Bag.

“After considering the facts and circumstances of the matter, the commission directs that these officers may be suspended forthwith and disciplinary proceedings be initiated for their serious misconduct and failure to maintain neutrality during West Bengal Legislative Elections 2026,” the poll panel said in its order.

The Commission also directed the state government to forward a report on Garai, an IPS officer, to his cadre controlling authority in the Ministry of Home Affairs — signalling that the matter could have consequences beyond the state cadre.

In the same order, the panel issued a warning to Diamond Harbour superintendent of police Ishani Pal for “failing to ensure discipline and fairness” among subordinate officers engaged in election-related duties. Diamond Harbour, incidentally, is the Lok Sabha constituency of Trinamool Congress national general-secretary and chief minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

The state administration has been instructed to implement the directions immediately and submit a compliance report by 11.00 am on 25 April.

The action comes in the middle of an extensive administrative churn in West Bengal, where the ECI has ordered the transfer or removal of a massive number of officials — including district magistrates, police superintendents and officers directly involved in poll management — since the elections were notified in March.

Such wide-ranging, almost unprecedented, intervention has been particularly pronounced this election cycle, reflecting both the high-stakes political contest and persistent allegations by Opposition parties of bias against the ECI.

Against that backdrop, the current action stands out as a sharper, more punitive step — moving beyond transfers to outright suspension.

With PTI inputs