Former chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah suspected a “biased intent” at the Jammu and Kashmir government order transferring at least 149 senior IAS, IPS and other officers hours before the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced assembly elections in the Union Territory (UT) on Friday.

Among the key officers transferred are deputy commissioners (DCs) and senior superintendents of police. An IGP and a couple of DIGs have also been shifted. Several JKAS and JKPS cadre officers have also been transferred.

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Four separate transfer lists were hurriedly issued before the model code of conduct (MCC) came into force after announcement of the elections. The first transfer order of DCs was issued in the evening of Independence Day which was a holiday and the other three followed this morning.

In a sop to the sizable population of refugees, the Administrative Council approved the proposal for transfer of Evacuees’ land conferring proprietary rights to the displaced persons of 1947, 1965, 1971 partition of the country, wars and West Pakistan displaced persons. This decision will confer absolute proprietary rights over Evacuees’ land to displaced persons as already conferred over state land, said an official statement.

Reacting sharply to these transfers, NC leader Omar Abdullah wrote on X; “That the J&K administration had to call officers in the secretariat & police HQ to work on Independence Day to order this massive reshuffle tells me they had absolutely NO CLUE that the ECI would be announcing poll dates today. All the more reason that the @ECISVEEP should look at this transfer order from the prism of a free & fair poll. @JKNC_ suspects a biased intent on the part of the @OfficeOfLGJandK”.

NC General Secretary Ali Mohamad Sagar also questioned these transfers saying, “Why has a massive reshuffle been ordered in the police and administration since last evening, and today morning, seemingly to preempt the Election Commission’s announcement? It appears to have been orchestrated by a BJP-appointed LG to benefit his party and its allies”.

“This move seems clearly intended to undermine the integrity of the electoral process, which restricts such transfers to prevent the ruling party from gaining an undue administrative advantage over the opposition. The LG government has strategically shaken up the entire administrative setup compromising the principles of free and fair elections. We call on the @ECISVEEP to thoroughly investigate this blatant attempt and to immediately suspend the implementation of these orders,” Sagar added.