The Election Commission of India (ECI) has recently ordered the immediate removal of Acting Director General of Police (DGP) Mr. Anurag Gupta from his designation on account of a “history” of complaints lodged against him during previous elections. With less than a month left before the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha polls, the EC took this decision in response to issues raised regarding Officer Gupta’s conduct during earlier electoral processes.
As Jharkhand prepares for elections on November 13th and 20th, the responsibilities of the DGP will be temporarily assigned to the senior-most officer at the DGP level in the state. The Hemant Soren government has been directed to submit a list of senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers by October 21st, allowing the EC to appoint a new DGP. A compliance report regarding Officer Gupta’s removal is expected by this evening.
Mr. Anurag Gupta is a 1990-batch IPS officer serving as the Acting DGP of the state since July.
Allegations Of Partisanship
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Officer Gupta was relieved from his position as ADG (Special Branch) in Jharkhand following accusations of bias from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). He was subsequently reassigned to Delhi and prohibited from returning to the state until the elections were concluded.
During the 2016 Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, Officer Gupta faced allegations of authority misuse while being posted as an additional DGP. This led to a departmental inquiry after the EC issued a charge sheet against him.
Officer Gupta had earlier served as the Director General of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and held additional responsibilities as the head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
It is pertinent to mention that the Jharkhand government, on September 19th, had submitted the names of four IPS officers to UPSC for the post of DGP of Jharkhand amid controversy over Officer Gupta’s appointment. The four officers were: IPS Anil Palta (1990 batch), IPS Anurag Gupta, IPS Prashant Singh (1992 batch) and IPS R K Mallick (1992 batch).
