In a late-night development on Wednesday (March 18, 2026), the Election Commission of India (ECI) cancelled the rehabilitation of several Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in West Bengal who had been given alternative postings by the state government after being removed from their earlier posts and barred from election-related duties.
The Commission issued a fresh notification cancelling the alternative postings of 15 such officers and decided to shift them out of the state by deputing them as police observers to other poll-bound states to ensure they do not influence the electoral process.
The officers affected by the decision include Akash Magharia (IPS:2009:WB), Alok Rajoria (IPS:2009:WB), Amandeep (IPS:2014:WB), Abhijit Banerjee (IPS-SPS:2013), Bhaskar Mukherjee (IPS:2009:WB), C Sudhakar (IPS:2006:WB), Dhritiman Sarkar (IPS:2004:WB), Indira Mukherjee (IPS:2013:WB), Murli Dhar (IPS:2005:WB), Mukesh (IPS:2006:WB), Praveen Kumar Tripathi (IPS:2004:WB), Priyabrata Roy (IPS:2017:WB), Sandeep Karra (IPS:2016:WB), Rashid Munir Khan (IPS:2008:WB), and Syed Waqar Raja (IPS:2007:WB).
Among them, Murli Dhar was serving as Police Commissioner of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, while Syed Waqar Raja was Police Commissioner of Siliguri Metropolitan Police.
West Bengal is set to go to polls in two phases, scheduled for April 23 and April 29. Polling will be held for 152 Assembly constituencies in the first phase and 142 constituencies in the second phase
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