Poll Body Changes Maharashtra Police Chief After Opposition Alleges Bias

Two weeks before Maharashtra votes in Assembly polls, the Election Commission has ordered the transfer of Maharashtra DGP Rashmi Shukla, according to sources. The Opposition, led by the Congress, had alleged that the senior IPS officer was biased towards the ruling Mahayuti alliance and that fair polls wouldn't be possible if she was in the top post.

The poll body has asked Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik to hand over Ms Shukla's charge to the next seniormost IPS officer with immediate effect and send a panel of three names by tomorrow for selection of the next state police chief.

During review meetings and announcement of Assembly polls, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had warned officials to be impartial and fair and ensure that they are perceived as non-partisan in conducting their duties.

Opposition parties, including the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), had accused Ms Shukla of bias.

"There is a very serious allegation against the state's Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla. In 2019, when our government was being formed, this Director General of Police, who was directly working for the Bharatiya Janata Party, was tapping all our phones and giving full information to Devendra Fadnavis about what we were going to do," Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, had told the media.

"Can we expect her to conduct fair elections? We have said that the reins of elections should not be given to her, and then the Election Commission said that they do not have the right (to transfer). How can this happen? At the same time, Jharkhand's DGP was changed. Maharashtra's election is being conducted based on police pressure," he added.

State Congress chief Nana Patole had written to the Chief Election Commissioner, requesting Ms Shukla's removal from the post of the state police chief.

Mr Patole had accused the senior woman police officer of displaying a "clear bias" against Opposition parties. "Over the past 20 days, political violence against opposition parties has significantly escalated, with a notable deterioration in the law and order situation. She has shown a clear bias against the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP(SP), as evidenced by her previous record of illegal phone tapping of opposition leaders while serving as Commissioner of Police, Pune, and Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department (SID)," his letter said.

Congress's Vijay Wadettiwar Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly, has welcomed the top cop's transfer. "It became clear today that the coalition government was being dishonest. What was the compulsion of the alliance government to extend the term of police officer Rashmi Shukla who was facing serious charges? She was given an extension to ensure that the assembly elections in Maharashtra are not conducted in a transparent manner," he said in a post on X.

An IPS officer of the 1988 batch, Ms Shukla is the first woman to become Maharashtra's police chief. Earlier, she served as director general of Sashstra Seema Bal. 

Maharashtra's 288 Assembly seats will vote on November 20. Counting of votes is on November 23.