Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India on Tuesday ordered the immediate suspension of senior IPS officer and special secretary to chief minister DS Kuttey for undue interference in the conduct of election and asked another IPS officer Ashish Singh to present himself for detailed medical examination by a special medical board constituted by director AIIMS over similar allegations. Sources said that they are suspected to have played a role in the arrest of BJP’s Khurda candidate Prashant Jagdev over allegations of damaging an EVM machine.
The ECI order said D.S. Kutey, a 1997-batch IPS who is special secretary to CM would be placed under suspension under relevant service rules for unduly interfering in conduct of election. The order said that Kuttey’s headquarters is fixed at the Office of Resident Commissioner Odisha, New Delhi where he has to report by May 29 afternoon. “Chief Electoral Officer Odisha would provide to the Chief Secretary of Odisha draft of the charge sheet to be issued to Kutey and Odisha chief secretary would arrange chargesheet under relevant service rules by 5:00 pm of May 30,” the order said.
The order on Ashish Singh, a 2010-batch IPS officer now working as IG(CM security), said as he has been on medical leave since May 4, he would present himself for detailed medical examination by a special medical board constituted by the director of AIIMS, Bhubaneshwar not later than May 30. “The Chief Electoral Officer would coordinate to ensure that Director AIIMS Bhubaneshwar for constituting a special medical board to ascertain illness and treatment being undergone,” the ECI order said.
The ECI also ordered expeditious investigation in the case registered against Prashant Jagdev, BJP’s MLA candidate from Khordha assembly constituency. Jagdev was arrested on Monday following allegations that he had damaged EVM in a polling booth. The BJP has described his arrest as illegal as the CCTV footage of the polling booth showed that Jagdev did not have any role in damaging EVM machine.
Last month, the BJP had accused Kutey of working for the Biju Janata Dal by staying at the Chief Minister’s Office. The party had demanded that his cellphones be seized immediately and call details record (CDR) be retrieved. It also demanded action against Ashish Singh that he was unduly influencing the election even after being transferred from the post of IG Central range over similar allegations.
Early this month, the Election Commission ordered the transfer of senior Odisha bureaucrat Sujata R Kartikeyan, wife of BJD leader and bureaucrat-turned-politician VK Pandian, from department of Mission Shakti to a non-public facing department after complaints of misuse of public office.
The BJP had alleged that Sujata through the department of Mission Shakti had been compelling and coercing the women Self Help Groups (SHGs) to work for BJD. They were being threatened with cessation of government financial benefits if they refused to back BJD’s cause and influence the voters to vote for the party both in Lok Sabha as well as Assembly elections. The 7 lakh women SHG groups being controlled by Mission Shakti constitute an important vote bank for BJD.
