The Election Commission of India took swift action by directly suspending seven Assistant Electoral Registration Officers in West Bengal for neglecting their duties during the Special Intensive Revision. These officers were removed from their SIR-related responsibilities within 24 hours of the Commission’s directive to the state government. The suspended AEROs include individuals from various Assembly constituencies across districts like Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, South 24 Parganas, and West Midnapore.
In a previous incident last year, the ECI had instructed the state government to suspend and file FIRs against two Electoral Registration Officers and two AEROs for their involvement in electoral roll malpractices. The Commission had expressed dissatisfaction when the directive was only partially implemented by the West Bengal Chief Secretary. A deadline of February 17 was set for the government to register FIRs against the officers, including those from Baruipur East, Moyna, and other constituencies.
Among the officers facing allegations of electoral roll tampering are Debottam Dutta Chowdhury and Tathagata Mandal from Baruipur East, along with Biplob Sarkar and Sudipta Das from Moyna. The ECI’s decision to suspend these officers and demand FIRs was based on the accusations of electoral roll manipulation. The Commission has been firm in ensuring accountability and adherence to electoral procedures in West Bengal.
