Odisha: BJP files EC complaint against senior IPS officer, accuses him of working for BJD
BJP threatening state govt. officials with transfers, counters BJD
By Sukant Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, April 8: The Odisha unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday accused senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer DS Kutey of working for the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Kutey is currently posted in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) as special secretary.
In complaint lodged with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha, the BJP pointed out that even though the Election Commission of India (ECI) has already barred the IPS officer from election duty, he has been appointed as the special secretary at the CMO and is getting multiple works of the ruling party done through the superintendents of police (SPs) and inspectors of various police stations.
“As the IPS officer has been working on behalf of the BJD, his cellphones should be seized immediately and call details record (CDR) be retrieved,” the BJP demanded before the CEO.
The BJP delegation which met the CEO urged the CEO to probe the CDR and make the information public as to whom the IPS officer has spoken to.
After meeting the CEO, senior BJP delegation leader Samir Mohanty told the media that though the model code of conduct is in force and the ECI has barred the IPS from taking part in any election duty, Kutey is interacting with SPs, inspectors and political leaders.
“Kutey has been working on partisan lines. This is a violation of the poll model code of conduct.”
He added that the BJP has urged the CEO to seize the IPS officer’s mobile phones and examine his CDR.
No response was received from Kutte.
On the other hand, politics has warmed up over the issue. In a seeming countermeasure, the BJD has written a letter to the ECI, alleging that the BJP has been threatening government officials with transfers by taking the name of the ECI.
BJD leader Sasmit Patra said, “When the BJP leaders are sensing that their party is going to lose the polls, their only habit is to start opposing the government officers. All such things have been noticed in the 2019 elections, by-elections.”
Patra also claimed that the Odisha BJP leaders and candidates are misusing the name of ECI and threatening Odisha govt officials with transfers if these officials don’t support the Odisha BJP in the 2024 elections.
