The Election Commission of India on Thursday (March 19, 2026) changed its earlier order on shifting IPS officers out of West Bengal. It has now allowed two officers to stay in the state for the time being ahead of the Assembly elections.
Officials in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer said Murli Dhar (IPS:2005:WB) and Syed Waqar Raja (IPS:2007:WB) will not be sent out as observers for now. They will remain in West Bengal until further orders.
Murli Dhar was serving as Police Commissioner of Bidhannagar. Syed Waqar Raja was Commissioner of Siliguri Metropolitan Police.
The Commission has allowed both officers to stay back in the state without immediately assigning them observer roles elsewhere.
However, the remaining 13 IPS officers will be sent to other states. They will work as observers in poll-bound states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
This comes a day after the Commission cancelled the new postings given to 15 IPS officers by the state government. These officers had been removed from their posts and were not allowed to handle election work.
Earlier, the Commission had planned to send all 15 officers out of West Bengal as observers. Now, it has allowed two of them to remain in the state.
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