KOLKATA, Jan. 3 -- The Election Commission on Saturday flagged serious security lapses during the visit of an Electoral Roll Observer to SIR hearing camps in parts of Bengal, and sought a detailed action taken report from the state police by January 6. In a letter to the director general of police, the Commission said that the Observer, senior bureaucrat C Murugan, in a report highlighted a series of incidents during his visit to SIR hearing camps on December 29 in Magrahat-I, Magrahat-II and Kulpi blocks in South 24-Parganas district. Similar concerns were echoed in reports submitted by the Special Electoral Roll Observer and the Chief Electoral Officer, it said. The Commission noted that despite advance notice to local authorities, adequate security was not provided, forcing the Observer to move through sensitive areas without proper protection. The letter said incidents of sloganeering, mob gatherings, obstruction, and damage to the Observer's vehicle were reported, with an FIR lodged on December 29 against 30-40 unknown people.
"These incidents reflect serious lapses on the part of the police administration," the Commission said, and directed the DGP to furnish an action taken report detailing police action, follow-up measures and steps initiated to fix responsibility by 5 pm on January 6. The poll body directed that Electoral Roll Observers must now be accompanied by a senior police officer during field visits for security. It stressed strict compliance with the directions to ensure a secure environment for the conduct of the SIR and other electoral processes.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.