Five Assam civil service (ACS) officers have been suspended for having “refused” to join their new place of posting.

The suspended officers, placed at the disposal of the election department, included Bokakhat election officer Parishmita Dehingia, Tinsukia election officer Kongkon Jyoti Saikia, Baksa election officer Kabyashree Dihingia, Parbatjhora assistant commissioner Saroj Kumar Deka and Jonai assistant commissioner Jintu Sarma.

The development comes in the run-up to the November 13 bypolls to five Assembly constituencies — Dholai, Sidli, Bongaigaon, Behali (all won by the BJP and its allies in 2021) and Samaguri (won by the Congress in 2021). As many as 34 candidates are in the fray for the five seats and the campaigning for the seats has started peaking.

The five officers were transferred as district election officers to Sivasagar, Barpeta, Dima Hasao and Majuli. Deka and Sarma were transferred to Majuli but none of them joined duty citing various reasons.

While Parishmita, Saikia, Kabyashree requested the chief electoral officer to release/withdraw them from the election department, Sarma and Deka requested an exemption citing personal reasons.

The separate suspension orders, issued simultaneously by the personnel department on November 4, said they had “refused to join the new place of posting, thereby disobeying the order of the authority, and destroying the office decorum and hence he failed to act in public interest...”

The order further said each of them had “violated the Govt. instructions notified vide Office Memorandum No. AAP.34/2015/3, Dated 19.02.2015 which stipulates that all transfer and posting orders must be given effect to within a week of receipt of the orders and representation against transfer orders will be entertained only after compliance of the government orders.”

They were placed under “suspension from service with immediate effect in the interest of public service” under “Rule 6(1) of the Assam Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1964”.

During the period of suspension, the headquarters of all five officers will be the same as his/her “last place of posting, subject to review if deemed necessary”.