Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Friday, announced the suspension of a joint block development officer (BDO), also the assistant returning officer (ARO), in East Burdwan district of West Bengal on charges of gross dereliction of duty.

The officer concerned is Jyotsna Khatun, the joint BDO-cum-ARO of the Khandaghosh Development Block in East Burdwan district.

In a communique sent by the ECI's Secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra to the West Bengal Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala, the latter had been directed to place Khatun under immediate suspension and also to initiate disciplinary action against her immediately.

"The directions of the Commission are implemented with immediate effect and a compliance report in this regard is to be sent by 11 a.m. on April 4, 2026," the communique said.

At the same time, the ECI had also clarified on Friday that the number of bureaucrats and police officers, who were transferred by the Commission after the model code of conduct (MCC), is negligible compared to the huge number of bureaucrats and police officers immediately before the MCC was enforced.

As per the data provided by the ECI on Friday evening, just before starting of special intensive revision (SIR) was announced October 27, 2025, till elections were announced on March 16, 2026, West Bengal government transferred a large number of 1,370 officers, including 97 Indian Administrative Service (IAS), 146 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, 1,080 West Bengal Civil Service officers and 47 West Bengal Police Service Officers.

"This chaos created by the West Bengal government was corrected by ECI by a minimal number of transfers," said a Commission insider.

Meanwhile, the office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) had issued a social media post on Friday afternoon, claiming that the ECI had mandated zero tolerance policy regarding conducting free, fair and violence-free polls for the 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal in two phases later this month.