Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday sought an explanation from the West Bengal government over the delay in registering FIRs against four electoral officers in the state, including two electoral registration officers (EROs) and two assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs), accused of manipulation in the enrolment of voters in two Assembly constituencies.
A communique was forwarded by the ECI to West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, seeking an explanation in the matter within the next 72 hours.
Last week, the ECI turned down the West Bengal government’s plea seeking withdrawal of the poll body’s earlier order for strong disciplinary action against the four officers. By seeking an explanation from the state government within 72 hours, the Commission made it clear that it was not taking the matter lightly.
Two of the four officers against whom the Chief Electoral Officer’s office has been directed to register FIRs are Debottam Dutta Chowdhury, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Baruipur East Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district, and Tathagata Mandal, the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) of the same constituency.
The other two officers are Biplob Sarkar, the ERO of Moyna Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district, and Sudipta Das, the AERO of the constituency.
To recall, in August last year, instructions came from the ECI headquarters in New Delhi to West Bengal to suspend the four electoral officers and also register FIRs against them.
However, the West Bengal government partially implemented the order. While the four officers were suspended, FIRs were not registered against them.
Additionally, a contractual data entry operator was relieved of duty.
Again, earlier this month, the ECI directed the district magistrates of South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore to register FIRs against the four electoral officers.
However, before the two district electoral officers initiated the process of registering FIRs, the state government sent a request to withdraw the order for disciplinary action against the four officers.
The officers were accused of tampering with the voters’ list. Following this, the ECI directed that the four officers and the data entry operator should be suspended and that FIRs should be lodged against them.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had then criticised the ECI for its directive and accused the poll body of being the “bonded labour of the BJP”.
She also asserted that her government would not take any action against its employees.
(IANS)
