ECI directs Bengal CEO to file FIRs against four electoral officers over voter enrolment irregularities

Kolkata, Jan 2 The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday directed the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, to register FIRs against four electoral officers in the state accused of manipulation in voter enrolment in two Assembly constituencies.

Two of the officers against whom FIRs have been ordered are the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Baruipur East Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district, Debottam Dutta Chowdhury, and the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) of the same constituency, Tathagata Mandal.

The other two officers are the ERO of Moyna Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district, Biplob Sarkar, and the AERO of that constituency, Sudipta Das.

“Instructions from the ECI headquarters in New Delhi have been conveyed to the office of the CEO, West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, as well as to the district magistrates, who also function as district electoral officers, of South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore,” a source in the CEO’s office said.

The development follows an earlier directive issued by the ECI in August last year, when it had instructed the West Bengal authorities to suspend the four electoral officers and also register FIRs against them.

However, the state government had only partially implemented that order. While the four officers were suspended, FIRs were not registered. In addition, a contractual data entry operator linked to the case was relieved of his duties.

The four officers were accused of tampering with the electoral rolls. On the basis of these allegations, the ECI had directed that all five individuals be suspended and that criminal cases be registered against them.

At the time, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had criticised the ECI’s directive, accusing the poll body of acting as the “bonded labour of the BJP”. She had also asserted that her government would not take action against its employees.

Till the filing of this report, there was no reaction from the West Bengal government or the ruling Trinamool Congress on the ECI’s latest directive.

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