Kolkata, April 1 Amid continuing tension and demonstrations outside the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, in central Kolkata since Tuesday afternoon, which persisted on Wednesday, the Kolkata Police have expanded the area around the office where prohibitory orders are in force.
The orders, which bar the assembly of more than a specified number of people at a time, will remain in place till the Assembly elections in the state next month are over and the results are announced.
Until now, the prohibitory orders were enforced only on the road in front of the CEO’s office. However, as per the fresh directive, the area has been extended to cover a much larger stretch around the office, from the nearby Koilghata Crossing to Kiran Shankar Roy Road.
The decision by Kolkata Police comes amid a strong caution issued earlier in the day by the Election Commission of India (ECI), which made it clear that hooliganism of any sort will not be tolerated in front of the CEO’s office.
On Tuesday, a major clash broke out between supporters of the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in front of the CEO’s office. Subsequently, the Trinamool Congress staged a night-long protest there, accusing the BJP and the ECI of enrolling voters from other states in West Bengal’s electoral rolls through mass submission and acceptance of Form-6 applications.
On Wednesday afternoon, two rounds of protests were witnessed at the same location. First, members of an association of booth-level officers (BLOs) affiliated to the Trinamool Congress staged a demonstration on the same issue.
Soon after, BJP supporters reached the spot and raised counter-slogans, leading to a tense situation in the area. State police and central armed police forces (CAPF) deployed there struggled to keep the rival groups apart.
Meanwhile, a group of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) also gathered near the CEO’s office and staged a protest against the alleged harassment of voters during the special intensive revision (SIR) process.
Amid the continuing unrest since Tuesday, the Kolkata Police on Wednesday decided to expand the jurisdiction of the prohibitory orders to prevent further escalation and maintain law and order in the area.
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