Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar instructed Acting Director General of West Bengal Police Rajeev Kumar to uphold the Supreme Court’s order for maintaining peace during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. A communication from Election Commission of India Secretary Pawan Diwan emphasized strict action in this regard.
The directive, also sent to West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma, urged all district collectors, police commissioners, and district police superintendents to follow the apex court’s order diligently. The Commission warned of severe consequences in case of non-compliance with the court’s directive.
The Election Commission highlighted that any failure to adhere to the instructions or any disruption to SIR proceedings due to actions or inactions of the authorities would result in strict measures. The state government was cautioned that strong action would be taken if the apex court’s directions were not followed properly.
The Election Commission further instructed the state government to provide adequate support to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, for deployment during hearings on claims and objections to the draft voters’ list. District collectors and superintendents of police were directed to ensure smooth SIR proceedings by deploying sufficient staff and forces at relevant locations to prevent any law and order issues.
