The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered the immediate suspension of senior IPS officer DS Kuttey, who works in the Odisha Chief Minister’s office, for unduly interfering in the conduct of the election. Another IPS officer, Ashish Singh, has been instructed to undergo a detailed medical examination by a special medical board constituted by the director of AIIMS, over similar allegations.
The ECI’s order states that DS Kuttey, a 1997-batch IPS officer and special secretary to the Chief Minister, will be placed under suspension under the relevant service rules. Kuttey is required to report to the Office of the Resident Commissioner of Odisha in New Delhi by the afternoon of May 29. The Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha has been directed to provide the Chief Secretary of Odisha with a draft of the charge sheet against Kuttey. The Chief Secretary must issue the chargesheet under the relevant service rules by 5:00 PM on May 30.
Regarding Ashish Singh, a 2010-batch IPS officer currently serving as IG (CM Security), the ECI noted that he has been on medical leave since May 4. Singh must present himself for a detailed medical examination by a special medical board at AIIMS Bhubaneshwar no later than May 30. The Chief Electoral Officer will coordinate with the Director of AIIMS Bhubaneshwar to ensure the board’s constitution and the verification of Singh’s illness and treatment.
Additionally, the ECI has ordered a swift investigation into the case against Prashant Jagdev, a BJP MLA candidate from the Khordha assembly constituency, who was arrested on Monday for allegedly damaging an EVM in a polling booth. The BJP contends that Jagdev was illegally arrested, citing CCTV footage that reportedly shows Jagdev was not involved in tampering with the EVM.
Last month, the Bharatiya Janata Party accused DS Kuttey of working for the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) by remaining at the Chief Minister’s Office. The BJP demanded the immediate seizure of Kuttey’s cellphones and retrieval of his call detail records (CDRs). The party also demanded action against Ashish Singh, alleging that he was influencing the election despite being transferred from his post as IG Central Range.
Earlier this month, the ECI ordered the transfer of senior Odisha bureaucrat Sujata R Karthikeyan, the wife of BJD leader VK Pandian, from the Department of Mission Shakti to a non-public dealing department following complaints of misuse of public office. The BJP alleged that Sujata, through the Department of Mission Shakti, was coercing women self-help groups (SHGs) by threatening to withhold government financial benefits, thereby influencing them to vote for the BJD in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The 7 lakh women SHGs controlled by Mission Shakti have become a significant vote bank for the BJD over the last two elections.
