NEW DELHI: The Commission on Sunday transferred DCP (South-East) Chinmoy Biswal after it reportedly found his continuance in the post not conducive to holding a free, fair and impartial election in Delhi. The action, said sources, is linked to the firing incident at Shaheen Bagh on Saturday, in which youth from Dallupura had fired two rounds in the air near the site of ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

Biswal, who EC said stands relieved from his post with immediate effect, will be replaced by Kumar Gyanesh , senior additional DCP (South-East).

Biswal, for now, will report to the ministry of home affairs, as directed by per EC.

Sources said the poll panel had received adverse reports from its observers as well as special police observer about the handling of security arrangements and policing around the site of anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh. This was corroborated in the report received from the Delhi chief electoral officer, said sources. “Given that the area is so sensitive in view of the ongoing protests and the impending election and since one incident of random firing by a civilian has earlier taken place in Jamia Nagar area, it was expected that the security around the anti-CAA dharna site would be further beefed up with strict access control and constant vigil against any attempt to create a communally-charged situation. But the second firing incident happened despite EC’s directions to field-level officers at the poll review meeting held on Friday, to take swift action wherever warranted in the interest of fair, just, legal and impartial election in Delhi. It was particularly stressed that law and order arrangements in the identified vulnerable polling booths must be tightened ahead of polling day,” said an EC official.

The meeting on Friday was convened by EC for a comprehensive review of the poll arrangements including state of law and order. It was attended by a chief electoral officer of Delhi, district election officers, special commissioner of police, district commissioners of police, nodal officers and chief executives of local bodies. A second meeting was also held by EC with state chief secretary, home secretary, finance secretary, Delhi Police commissioner, Delhi CEO and special commissioners of police.

As exclusively reported by TOI earlier, EC also felt Delhi Police should have filed an FIR against Union minister Anurag Thakur and BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma for their communal remarks, which EC has held in violation of Section 123(3A) and Section 125 of Representation of the People Act. The latter section provides for imprisonment of up to three years. A senior EC functionary had told TOI that both the district magistrate concerned and Delhi Police were empowered under CrPC and IPC to direct filing of/file and FIR in the said instances, without waiting for a direction from EC.

