'Administration Had No Clue': Omar Abdullah Criticizes Jammu And Kashmir Administrative Reshuffle Ahead of Assembly Election Announcement

Reacting to the major administrative rejig in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the expected announcement of assembly election schedule, Omar, in a post on X, said that the J&K administration had to call officers in the secretariat and police HQ to work on Independence Day to order this massive reshuffle which suggested it had no clue that the ECI would announce the election dates.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah sharply criticized the timing of a major administrative reshuffle in the Union Territory on Friday, suggesting it could be an attempt to influence the upcoming assembly elections. Abdullah's comments followed reports that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the dates and schedule for holding the much-delayed assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir today, following its two-day visit to the Union Territory and a subsequent meeting with security agencies and the Home Secretary.

In a pointed post on X, Abdullah remarked, "That the J&K administration had to call officers in the secretariat and police HQ to work on Independence Day to order this massive reshuffle tells me they had absolutely NO CLUE that the ECI would be announcing poll dates today. All the more reason that the Election Commission of India should look at this transfer order from the prism of a free & fair poll." He further expressed concerns about potential biases on the part of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, suggesting that the reshuffle could undermine the fairness of the electoral process.

Omar's party, the National Conference has echoed these concerns. General Secretary Ali Mohamad Sagar described the reshuffle as a move seemingly designed to preempt the ECI’s announcement. "Why has a massive reshuffle been ordered in the police and administration since last evening and this morning, seemingly to preempt the Election Commission’s announcement?" Sagar questioned. He accused the BJP-appointed Lt Governor of orchestrating the transfers to benefit his party and its allies, thereby compromising the integrity of the electoral process. Sagar called on the ECI to thoroughly investigate what he described as a blatant attempt to manipulate the election process and to suspend the implementation of the transfer orders.

The administrative shake-up, announced late Thursday night and on Friday, includes the transfer of several top officers, affecting key positions such as deputy commissioners in Poonch and Bandipora, as well as senior officials across various departments. The Election Commission had previously directed the Union Territory administration to relocate officers from their home districts as a standard practice before elections, to prevent any undue influence on the electoral process.

The LG administration relieved senior IPS officer R.R. Swain as CID (Criminal Investigation Department) DG a day after his successor, Nalin Prabhat, was appointed as Director General of Police. Prabhat was appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs as Special DG of Jammu and Kashmir Police until Swain's retirement on September 30 this year. Prabhat will officially take over as DG of Jammu and Kashmir Police on October 1, 2024. This order effectively appointed Prabhat as acting DG of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Swain was recently confirmed as DG Police, a position he had held on an interim basis since November 2023. He was also DG CID from June 2020 but was replaced today by IPS officer Nitish Kumar, who had been serving as IG CID since March 2023.

The LG administration on Thursday night transferred 89 civil officers, including deputy commissioners of Poonch and Bandipora, secretaries of several departments, commissioners, director generals, managing directors, and directors of various departments. These officers had held their positions for more than three years or while posted in their home districts.

On Friday morning, the LG administration ordered the transfers and postings of DIGs and SSPs. IPS officer Maqsood ul Zaman has been posted as DIG of the North Kashmir Range, while SSPs of Shopian, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Jammu, Poonch, Kathua, Doda, Rajouri, and Ganderbal have been transferred and new officers appointed to these districts.

This development comes in the context of the Supreme Court’s December 2023 mandate, requiring the central government to complete the election process by September 30, 2024. The upcoming elections will be the first in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade, following the dissolution of the PDP-BJP coalition government in June 2018 and the abrogation of Article 370 on August 8, 2019.