Trinamool Congress seniors said they “smelt politics” behind the move but chose not to comment officially on the decision. Party MP Saugata Roy linked the transfer to a BJP complaint on “law and order in Bengal” lodged by party MP Swapan Dasgupta and Bengal leader Shishir Bajoria.
The EC also informed the state government that as many as 29 IAS officers and nine IPS officers would be sent to other poll-bound states as poll observers. They include several state secretaries and two ADGs.
Shamim, who was Kolkata Police special commissioner, was made ADG (law and order) on Februrary 6 to comply with an EC directive that said officials previously transferred by the EC could not be given “active poll duty” again.