IAS officer suspended for checking PM's chopper in Odisha transferred to Karnataka EC

Congress had strongly objected to the suspension of Mohsin and raised questions about the neutrality of the Central Election Commission.
IAS officer suspended for checking PM's chopper in Odisha transferred to Karnataka EC
IAS officer suspended for checking PM's chopper in Odisha transferred to Karnataka EC
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IAS officer Mohammed Mohsin, who was suspended for inspecting Prime Minister Modi’s helicopter in Odisha’s Sambalpur on April 16, has been asked to report to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer. Karnataka-cadre IAS officer Mohsin was placed as a General Observer in Sambalpur until his suspension order.

The suspension order had raised a storm in political circles with the opposition raising questions about the neutrality of the Election Commission of India’s office.

In its defence, the EC said that Mohsin had acted contrary to the instructions of the EC concerning SPG protectees.

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel had attacked the Election Commission asking why it suspended Mohsin for checking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter in Odisha. "There have been instances where during polls, the EC was allowed to check convoys of both current and former Congress Presidents. The Special Protection Group (SPG) protectees can't be frisked personally. Why suspend an officer for checking PM's chopper? What message is being sent?" Patel asked.

"The question is simple. If SPG protectees of the Congress party can be subjected to inspection, why is the same not applicable to the BJP," he added.

However, questions were also asked on whose complaint the Election Commission of India took the decision.

Meanwhile, former Chief Election Commissioner of India SY Quuereshi in a statement said, “The suspension of an IAS officer who was posted as an election observer in Odisha for checking the helicopter in which Prime Minister Modi had travelled is not only unfortunate but a great missed opportunity to restore not only the image of the EC but also the PM himself. Both these institutions have been under the public scanner – PM for repeatedly violating the model code and EC for repeatedly overlooking it.”

He added, “This ‘raid’ on PM's chopper should have been used to demonstrate that the law is equal for everybody. In one stroke, the intense criticism against them both would have come crumbling down. Unfortunately, they both chose a different course. The already ongoing criticism would now get magnified many times over.”

 

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