Patole asks chief election commissioner to remove DGP Shukla for free and fair election

Mumbai: MPCC president Nana Patole on Tuesday urged chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar to forthwith remove DGP Rashmi Shukla, who holds the additional charge of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, to safeguard the democratic process and ensure that the forthcoming assembly election is conducted in a fair, free and transparent manner.
"The issue pertains to the illegal extension and misuse of power by Shukla, currently holding the position of DGP, along with the additional charge of DG, anti-corruption.She was due to retire on June 30, 2024, upon reaching the age of superannuation; however, she has been granted an extension till Jan 2026, in direct violation of the Maharashtra Police Act, which stipulates that the DGP shall have a term of two years or until retirement, whichever is earlier," Patole said in a two-page letter to Rajiv Kumar.
Patole said that besides the unlawful extension, serious concerns have been raised about her impartiality and ability to perform her duties with integrity. She was allegedly involved in the illegal tapping of opposition leaders' phones without proper authorisation, misleading competent authorities in the process. All these cases were shelved following the change of govt in the state, with the BJP coming to power.
"In light of these serious violations of law and protocol, I request the ECI to take immediate action to remove Shukla from both positions – DGP and DG (ACB)," Patole said.
In anotehr development, CEC Kumar, accompanied by ECI commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, will be on a three-day visit to the city from Sept 26 to review the poll preparedness.
According to a bureaucrat, Rajiv Kumar, Gyanesh Kumar and Sandhu will meet leaders of political parties on Sept 26. On the same day, they will meet the chief electoral officer, state police nodal officer, and central paramilitary police officials. They will also meet separately with officials of enforcement agencies.
They will also meet the chief secretary, director general of police, administrative secretaries, and senior police officers. On Sept 28, they will meet district collectors and SPs and interact with the media.
The bureaucrat said that besides the meeting with district collectors and SPs, the meeting with the state police nodal officer and central paramilitary force is significant. It is the responsibility of the state police to maintain general law and order in the areas of polling stations, both inside and outside the polling premises, while the central paramilitary force is responsible for guarding the strong room where the polled EVMs are stored and kept until the day of counting.