The Election Commission of India has directed the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in West Bengal to file FIRs against four electoral officers. These officers are accused of manipulating voter enrolment in two Assembly constituencies. Among those facing FIRs are the Electoral Registration Officer and Assistant Electoral Registration Officer of Baruipur East Assembly constituency, along with their counterparts in Moyna Assembly constituency.
Instructions from the ECI headquarters in New Delhi were passed on to the CEO’s office and district magistrates in South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore. This action follows a previous directive from the ECI last year, where the officers were suspended but FIRs were not filed. The accused officers allegedly tampered with electoral rolls, leading to the ECI’s decision to suspend them and initiate criminal proceedings.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had criticized the ECI’s directive, calling it biased towards the BJP. She had indicated that her government would not take action against the accused officers. As of now, there has been no response from the West Bengal government or the ruling Trinamool Congress regarding the ECI’s latest instructions.
