Five police officers from West Bengal’s Diamond Harbour Police District have been suspended by the Election Commission of India over allegations of serious misconduct and failure to maintain neutrality during the 2026 Assembly elections, marking a sharp intervention by the poll authority in one of the state’s most politically watched zones. The suspended officers are Sandip Garai, Additional Superintendent of Police, Diamond Harbour; Sajal Mondal, Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Diamond Harbour; Mausam Chakraborty, Inspector-in-Charge of Diamond Harbour Police Station; Ajay Bag, Inspector-in-Charge of Falta Police Station; and Subhechha Bag, Officer-in-Charge of Usthi Police Station. Disciplinary proceedings have also been initiated against all five officers.
The Commission’s order, sent to the West Bengal Chief Secretary, called for immediate implementation and sought a compliance report by 11am on Saturday. The action was based on concerns that the officers had not upheld the neutrality expected of law-enforcement personnel during election duty, a requirement central to the conduct of free and fair polls.
Diamond Harbour Superintendent of Police Ishani Pal has separately been warned over alleged failure to ensure discipline and fairness among subordinate officers in sensitive election-related matters. The warning, though short of suspension, places accountability at the district command level and signals that the Commission is prepared to act not only against field officers but also supervisory officials where lapses are reported.
The move comes amid a tense Assembly election in West Bengal, where polling has been accompanied by intense scrutiny of administrative conduct, security deployment and party-level complaints. The first phase of polling recorded turnout above 90 per cent, underlining both high voter mobilisation and the pressure on election machinery across the state.
Diamond Harbour carries particular political weight because it is a stronghold of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, whose Lok Sabha constituency includes several Assembly segments in the area. The Bharatiya Janata Party has sought to make administrative neutrality a central campaign issue in West Bengal, while the Trinamool Congress has accused its opponents of using central institutions and complaints to influence the election atmosphere.
The Commission’s action is significant because police officers on election duty are expected to function under the supervision of the poll authority once the model code is in force. Their role includes maintaining law and order around polling stations, preventing intimidation, protecting voters, and ensuring that candidates and party workers operate within legal limits. Allegations of bias against such officers can quickly become a flashpoint in a state where electoral competition is sharply polarised.
The suspended officers held key posts across Diamond Harbour, Falta and Usthi, areas that fall within the broader South 24 Parganas region. These locations are politically sensitive because of their proximity to major campaign centres, mixed rural-urban voter bases and a history of high-stakes contests between the Trinamool Congress, the BJP and Left-Congress forces.
The Election Commission has not publicly detailed each allegation against the officers, but its language indicates that the complaint was treated as serious enough to warrant immediate removal from election-related duties. Suspension pending disciplinary proceedings does not amount to a finding of guilt, but it prevents the officers from exercising authority during a crucial phase of polling.
The measure also fits a wider pattern of close oversight by the Commission during the West Bengal election. The poll authority has faced competing political demands: opposition parties have sought stronger action against alleged partisan policing, while the ruling party has warned against what it describes as selective intervention. The Commission’s credibility in such contests rests on whether its action is perceived as even-handed and based on verifiable reports rather than political pressure.
Security management remains one of the defining issues in West Bengal’s elections. Past polls in the state have often been marked by allegations of booth intimidation, clashes between party cadres, and accusations that local police failed to act impartially. Central forces are usually deployed in large numbers, but coordination with state police remains essential because local officers possess ground-level knowledge of vulnerable areas and recurring trouble spots.
The disciplinary proceedings against the five officers will determine whether the allegations lead to further penalties under service rules. For now, the suspensions send a clear message to the district administration that neutrality is not merely procedural language but a standard that can carry immediate career consequences during election duty.