Ahead of the Jharkhand assembly elections, the Election Commission has changed the state’s director general of police (DGP). Now, senior IPS officer of Jharkhand cadre Ajay Kumar Singh has been appointed as the new Director General of Police (DGP) of the state.
The step comes days after the Election Commission ousted the state’s acting attorney general Anurag Gupta, the news agency reported. The election commission made the decision because he was accused of “irregularities” in previous elections.
Ajay Kumar Singh is IPS of 1989 batch.
Ajay Kumar Singh, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1989 batch, was selected from the list of three senior IPS officers posted by the state government. The list was approved by the Election Commission, following which Ajay Kumar Singh was appointed.
Earlier on Saturday, the Election Commission ordered the removal of acting DGP Anurag Gupta from the post and directed the state government to temporarily hand over the responsibilities of the DGP to the senior most DGP level officer.
Meanwhile, the state government has been asked to send the names of three senior IPS officers to the Election Commission by the morning of October 21 so that the Election Commission can appoint the new DGP.
Jharkhand elections to be held in two phases
It is worth noting that the upcoming assembly elections in Jharkhand will be held in two phases, namely November 13 and November 20. In response, the Election Commission took immediate action to ensure fair and free elections in the state. Anurag Gupta was accused of violating the electoral code of conduct in the last elections, due to which the commission took action against him and ordered his removal from office.
Ajay Kumar Singh’s election is considered an important step in view of the upcoming elections in Jharkhand. He has been given the responsibility of maintaining law and order in the country so that elections can be conducted in a peaceful and transparent manner.
