Row over transfer of officer who stopped Robert Vadra rally

Lucknow/New Delhi: A political storm is brewing over Election Commission's decision to transfer a poll observer, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Pawan Sen, who stopped Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra's motorcycle rally near Amethi on Monday. While the Election Commission claims that the order to transfer Sen was issued before the incident, political parties allege that it was done to please the Congress and the Gandhi family.

The Election Commission says that Sen's transfer to Goa is a routine matter and the decision had been taken several hours before he stopped Vadra's rally for defying the model code of conduct as it was using more than the permissible number of vehicles. Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi said that Sen's transfer has been put on hold till February 19, when voting will be over in Amethi.

The Election Commission claimed that the transfer order had been prepared on Monday morning itself and had little to do with the IAS officer's actions against Vadra. Sen has been transferred as the Deputy Commissioner in South Goa.

"In the morning we ordered that he will be posted on a higher responsibility of a collector. It is prestigious post for him. Later on in the evening if something happens in Amethi and the two things are not linked, it is a very strange and funny coincidence. In any case let us leave no case for any doubt or misinterpretation. We have ordered that he will leave his charge only after Amethi election. Goa polls are on March 3 and after Amethi polls he will go and take charge as the collector, which is a post prestige and honour for him. It is a promotion. Our order was in the morning and this incident happened in the evening," said Quraishi.

However, political parties alleged that the decision smacked of partisanship and there should be an investigation to find out why was Sen transferred soon after he had stopped Vadra's rally.

"This is a matter of investigation as to how and why the poll official was transferred and then the order was put on hold. The Election Commission should give an explanation to the people. People want to know whether the law is different for different people," said Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.

Another BJP spokesperson, Siddharth Nath Singh, said that such orders reveal that the Central Government is trying to influence the administration during the elections in the Uttar Pradesh.

"I will not comment on the constitutional body but the transfer of an election officer is something to be looked at. In Uttar Pradesh for last 6 years there has been administrative dictatorship. What happened yesterday is Central Government's administrative dictatorship in Uttar Pradesh," said Singh.

Samajwadi Party said such a move would demoralise the officers involved in election duties in Uttar Pradesh.

"It's a sad incident. There is no justification for the transfer. It will demoralise the observers and will set a wrong precedent. If such transfers are done under pressure then we can't expect free and fair elections to take place," said Khan.

Vadra was taking out a motorcycle rally when he was stopped by Sen for using more vehicles that the permitted number of 10 vehicles two-wheelers, District Magistrate JP Gupta said.

Sen had also ordered filing of an FIR against Salon Assembly seat Congress candidate Shiv Balak Passi for violating the model code of conduct.

But with the state witnessing no-holds barred electioneering and the Congress hoping of putting up its best show in an Assembly election in the state in the last two decades, opposition parties are likely to use Sen's transfer as an election issue.

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