Panaji, March 13

The Chief Electoral Officer of Goa on Wednesday directed the state DGP and the Home department to verify and file responses to a complaint by a lawyer, who alleged malpractice in a mass transfer of police personnel across ranks, days before the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls came into force on Sunday.

In a communication to the State Home Department and the DGP, the CEO's nodal officer Bijesh Manerkar has asked both the departments to "verify the complaint and submit para-wise comments in the matter at the earliest".

In his complaint to the CEO, lawyer Aires Rodrigues had said transfers of nine deputy superintendents of police, 46 police inspectors and 101 police sub-inspectors on February 22 was not in "compliance with Election Commission of India directives".

"The outgoing DGP Muktesh Chander had arbitrarily and through a very questionable process of pick and choose transferred officers at his whims and fancies," the complaint said.

Goa CEO seeks response over mass police transfers