In one of largest reshuffles, West Bengal transfers 527 officers amid SIR rollout
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal government on Monday announced the transfer of over 500 bureaucrats amid the rollout of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
In one of the largest reshuffles on a single day, 67 IAS and 460 West Bengal Civil Services (Executive) officers were transferred, according to a slew of notifications issued by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) Department.
The transfer notifications were dated October 24, even as they were uploaded on the department's website in batches before and after the announcement of SIR by the Election Commission.
Notifications for transfers of 61 IAS and 145 WBCS (Executive) officers were uploaded during the first half of the day, while another set of orders, notifying the postings of six IAS and 315 WBCS (Executive) officers, was made available shortly after the EC's briefing.
Among the officers transferred were 14 district magistrates (DM), multiple special secretaries, several officers-on-special duty (OSDs) and a bunch of ADMs and SDOs from both IAS and WBCS services.
Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) MD Shashank Sethi was made the new DM of North 24 Parganas, while Murshidabad DM Rajarshi Mitra replaced him.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation's commissioner Dhaval Jain was made the DM of Birbhum, while South 24 Parganas DM Sumit Gupta was posted in his place.
Haldia Development Authority CEO Kontam Sudhir was made the DM of Purulia.
Science and Technology Department Secretary Godala Kiran Kumar was named the divisional commissioner of Medinipur, while Panchayat and Rural Development Department Special Secretary Kuhuk Bhushan was posted as DM of Kalimpong.
New district magistrates were also appointed in Cooch Behar, Murshidabad, Darjeeling, Malda, Jhargram, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly and Dakshin Dinajpur.
The officers are expected to play nodal roles in the SIR exercise, and it would become untenable for the state government to make further reshuffles without the authorisation of the EC once the schedule has been announced, an official said.
The opposition BJP shot a complaint letter to the Chief Election Commissioner and demanded the "immediate annulment of the irregular transfers done without ECI approval".
"The West Bengal Government has carried out a mass scale transfer of 235 officers today 27 October 2025, after the announcement of SIR by the ECI on 24 June 2025 vide Order no 23/ERS/2025. In these transfers, 17 DMs, 22 ADMs, 45 SDOs and 151 BDOs are also included, most of whom are will be involved in the SIR, which has already been announced," the complaint letter claimed.
While the BJP alleged that the transfers were an attempt by the Mamata Banerjee government to thwart the upcoming SIR exercise, the ruling TMC called it a mere "routine" exercise.
"CM Mamata Banerjee is sensing trouble for her party once this exercise is successfully completed and a large number of fake voters are deleted from the electoral rolls. She is, hence, trying everything in her hand to disturb the process by making such last-minute bulk transfers," BJP leader Sajal Ghosh alleged.
Rubbishing the accusation, TMC IT cell head Debangshu Bhattacharya said the BJP is "clutching at straws" to level wild allegations.
"Such transfers take place in the government as a routine measure across the year. There's no reason why one should draw a connection between this and the SIR announcement. This is opposition for opposition's sake," he said.
The EC will conduct phase two of the SIR in 12 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal -- where elections will be due early next year, between November and February.
The exercise will begin on November 4 and continue till December 4. The draft electoral rolls will be released on D
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'PM is scared of questions': Cong slams govt after IYC chief's arrest
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib was arrested in connection with the shirtless protest at the AI Impact Summit, saying the PM is "scared" of dissent and questions being asked of him.
Chib was arrested by Delhi Police in connection with the shirtless protest staged by a group of youth wing members at the AI Impact Summit here last week, officials said on Tuesday.
Police have also stepped up security across key locations in the capital in anticipation of possible protests following Chib's arrest, which took the total number of people held in the case to eight.
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Asked about Chib's arrest, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera told PTI Videos, "It is the duty of the opposition to protest in a democracy but a dictator will never understand this."
"If you hear the speech of that dictator in Meerut recently you will get to know that the word democracy does not exist in his dictionary," Khera said, in a swipe at the prime minister.
Chib as well as other colleagues are being arrested from various parts of the country, Khera, who is in Bhopal for the party's Kisan Maha Chaupal against the India-US interim trade deal, said,
"This shows that Narendra Modi is scared of dissent and questions being asked of him. Narendra Modi is emerging as the most cowardly Prime Minister in the world. He is being blackmailed, he is a coward, he is scared," Khera alleged.
"It has been the Congress' history that no matter how much oppression we face, we will continue to raise issues of the people and will keep fighting with 'Ahimsa'," he said.
Police had earlier arrested seven Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers, including three from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, for the protest at the Bharat Mandapam last Friday. They have been identified as Jitendra Yadav, Raj Gujjar and Ajay Kumar.
In addition, IYC's Uttar Pradesh general secretary Ritik alias Monty Shukla has been detained from Lalitpur in the state.
Senior officers said additional force has been deployed at the sensitive points, particularly in New Delhi, a hotspot for political demonstrations.
Security has been tightened around the Tilak Marg police station, where Chib is presently held, while barricades have been put up at the strategic points, with anti-riot teams on standby.
Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) and additional companies of paramilitary forces have also been placed on alert to respond to any law and order situation, officials said.
Senior officers have directed the field staff to ensure that traffic movement remains smooth.
On Friday, a group of IYC workers staged a dramatic protest inside Hall No. 5 of the summit venue by removing their shirts to reveal T-shirts printed with slogans against the government and the India-US interim trade deal, before being whisked away by security personnel.
Police said the accused had registered online and obtained QR codes to gain entry into the venue.
The incident triggered a political slugfest, with the BJP calling it a "shameful act to tarnish India's image on the global stage", and the IYC defending it as a "peaceful" demonstration aimed at safeguarding national interests.
