The Election Commission of India has directed the State government to remove the Home secretary Shailesh Bagauli. He is among the Home secretaries of six States, whose transfer has been directed by the ECI. Bagauli is also secretary to chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Congress has requested the ECI to remove the officiating director general of police Abhinav Kumar. In a letter written to the chief election commissioner (CEC) of India, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara has said that DGP Kumar should be removed for ensuring the free, fair and transparent conduct of Lok Sabha 2024 elections. He said that prior to his elevation as DGP of Uttarakhand, Kumar was deployed as the special principal secretary of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and his closeness to the ruling party is well known. In the letter the PCC president added that in the Ankita Bhandari murder case the police investigation is underway but in a statement given to the media, the DGP appeared to be behaving as the spokesman of the ruling party.
