SIR in Bengal: ECI assures election officials of strong action against any security breach

Kolkata, Oct 10 (IANS) Amid indications that the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal will start after October 15, the electoral officials in the state have received concrete assurance that the ECI will not remain silent in case of a single event of breach of security of any officer while conducting an on-field exercise for the revision.

The assurance was given by a central team of ECI, led by Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, at a meeting with the district-level electoral officers of East Midnapore, Jhargram and Bankura on Thursday.

The booth-level officers (BLOs), considering that they would be mainly engaged in field exercise during the revision process, were specially assured on this count. The ECI’s central team assured them that even a single breach of security of any electoral officer would be dealt with strongly, and it would be the West Bengal government's responsibility to ensure the safety of the officials, said an insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

The meeting was conducted at Kolaghat in the East Midnapore district. "On one hand, the central ECI team cautioned the district-level electoral officers of disciplinary action in case of lapse in conducting the SIR process. On the other hand, the ECI representatives also assured them of taking all possible measures to prevent any breach of security while carrying out the revision process. The central ECI team also assured that the ECI will maintain a strict vigil on this issue during the entire SIR process in the state,” the CEO’s office insider said.

Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has sought ECI action against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly slapping baseless allegations against a section of the Commission officials, especially targeting the CEO, West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal.

On Thursday, while addressing media persons at the state secretariat, Mamata Banerjee, without naming Agarwal, said that one particular officer, who has stayed in West Bengal, had several "charges of corruption against him".

“I will reveal those when the time comes. I hope that he will not act beyond his authority. He is unnecessarily threatening the state government officials. The state administration is yet to be taken over by the ECI. Then why is the Commission holding meetings with the booth-level officers now?" the Chief Minister asked, on Wednesday.

Reacting to the Chief Minister’s comments, the LOP said that such blatant and audacious threats made by Mamata Banerjee against the CEO, who is a constitutional representative of the ECI in the state, were a matter of grave concern.

“I urge the Election Commission of India to take immediate cognisance of this matter and initiate stringent action against Mamata Banerjee for her repeated attempts to undermine the Democratic Process and intimidate Constitutional Officers. Furthermore, I request that Central Security be provided to the CEO at his Office and Residence to ensure his safety, given the clear and present danger posed by these threats in a state where lawlessness prevails,” Adhikari said.

--IANS

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