IPS officer Sanjay Kumar Verma has been appointed the new Director General of Police of Maharashtra ahead of assembly polls in the state. The 1990 batch Mahrashtra cadre officer has been appointed by the Election Commission of India to the post after it directed the state government to transfer DGP Rashmi Shukla with immediate effect.
The poll body's direction came following complaints from political parties, including the Congress.
The EC directed the Maharashtra chief secretary to hand over Shukla's charge to the next senior-most IPS officer in the cadre. It also directed the chief secretary to send a panel of three IPS officers by Tuesday afternoon for appointment as DGP, reported PTI quoting sources.
The opposition, led by Congress, had alleged that Shukla had been biased towards the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Congress also accused the IPS officer of "illegal phone tapping".
Congress had welcomed the move to remove Shukla while raising questions over her appointment. "We welcome this decision of the Election Commission. What was the compulsion of the 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," Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said.
He further trained guns on the Mahayuti government saying 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.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, in a recent review meeting, had warned officials to not only be impartial and fair but also ensure that they are perceived as non-partisan while carrying out their duties.
On October 29, the CEC raised concern over politically motivated crimes in Maharashtra and asked DGP Shukla to ensure a strict clampdown on such incidents.