The Director General of West Bengal Police, Rajeev Kumar, faces a deadline to submit an action taken report to the Election Commission of India regarding an incident of heckling and attack on an ECI-appointed special observer in South 24 Parganas district. The special observer, C. Murugan, an IAS officer, was reviewing sessions in Magrahat when Trinamool Congress activists allegedly attacked him.
The state police were criticized for not providing adequate security to Murugan despite prior notification of his visit. Following the incident, Murugan reported to the ECI in New Delhi, prompting the ECI to request a detailed report from DGP Kumar by January 3. The deadline for submission is approaching, and it remains to be seen if the report will reach the ECI on time.
In a communication to the DGP on January 3, the ECI warned against future security lapses for voter list observers. Since the Special Intensive Revision began in West Bengal in November, there have been multiple instances of electoral officers being heckled, often attributed to Trinamool Congress activists. The Union Home Ministry recently upgraded security for CEO Manoj Agarwal following ECI recommendations.
