The Election Commission of India has transferred Maharashtra DGP Rashmi Shukla with immediate effect. The poll panel has directed the Chief Secretary to hand over her charge to the next senior most IPS officer in the cadre, sources said. The Chief Secretary has also been directed to send a panel of three IPS officers by 1 pm on November 5 for the appointment of the next DGP.
The Opposition, led by the Congress, had alleged that Shukla was biased towards the ruling Mahayuti alliance. The Congress had also accused the senior IPS officer of illegal "phone tapping".
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar welcomed the decision and raised questions over her appointment. "We welcome this decision of the Election Commission. What was the compulsion of Mahauyuti Government to appoint her? What was the need to give her an extension? It was meant to see that the elections were not transparent. They wanted to win elections through discrepancies. Those intentions have been foiled. Pawar Sahab had also expressed his views on the same. We too had sent two letters over the same," he said.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, had accused Shukla of displaying a "clear bias" against opposition parties in the state.
"Kindly refer to our previous letters dated 24th September 2024 and 4th October 2024 concerning the removal of Rashmi Shukla from the post of Director General of Police, Maharashtra. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) reiterated this request during a briefing with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on 27th September 2024," he had written in the letter.