Dehradun (Uttarakhand): Uttarakhand Congress President Karan Mahara has written a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commission of India demanding removal of Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP).
Presently Abhinav Kumar is the acting DGP of Uttarakhand. Karan Mahara has written a letter to the Chief Election Commission (CEC) saying the schedule of the Lok Sabha polls has been announced. "The Election Commission has declared April 19 as the date of elections in Uttarakhand. Abhinav Kumar before becoming the Director General of Police, was posted as the Principal Secretary to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. In such a situation, a question mark arises on the fairness of elections due to loyalty to the ruling party," Karan Mahara said.
Uttarakhand Congress spokesperson Garima Dasoni says that not only Karan Mahara but the entire opposition has the apprehension that the acting DGP of the state is close to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister and he is his "kitchen cabinet person".
"The acting DGP is from Uttar Pradesh cadre. The opposition fears that the election results may be affected," added Garima. It may be noted that the Election Commission of India has removed the DGP of West Bengal. Home Secretaries of six states including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh have also been removed by the Election Commission.