Mamata Banerjee ‘accident’: Two senior police officers suspended; district magistrate transferred

India's Election Commission today suspended two senior police officers and shunted out the District Magistrate of Purbo Medinipur district in connection with the incident in Nandigram leading to injuries to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee last week.

The disciplinary actions were taken at a meeting of the EC in New Delhi to discuss the reports submitted by the chief secretary, government of West Bengal, and the joint report filed by EC's special observer Ajay Nayak and special police observer Vivek Dube on the incident in Nandigram on March 10, a Commission statement said.

Earlier in the day, the EC ruled out any attack on Mamata in Nandigram and insisted that an "accident" had seen her left leg injured.

The EC ordered immediate suspension of Vivek Sahay, Indian Police Service officer who was director security and said charges must be framed against him within a week for "grossly failing" in discharge of his primary duty to protect Mamata who gets one of the highest forms of security.

The EC ordered that a committee of West Bengal chief secretary and director general of Police identify within next three days the other proximate security personnel who failed in their duties to prevent the Nandigram incident and protect Mamata and take suitable action for their failure.

Purba Medinipur DM Vibhu Goel, who is also the district electoral officer, has been transferred to a non-election post and he was replaced by Smita Pandey.

Purba Medinipur SP Pravin Prakash was ordered by the EC to be placed under suspension immediately and charges were framed against him.

Sunil Kumar Yadav, senior Indian Police Service officer, has been posted immediately as SP of Purba Medinipur in place of Pravin Prakash.

The EC also ordered completion of investigation and action taken as per law in the next 15 days.

The EC has also appointed retired intelligence official of Punjab state Anil Kumar Sharma as a special police observer for the assembly election in West Bengal which begins on March 27 and goes on in seven more phases through April before vote count is taken up on May 2.