Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alerted district magistrates, police superintendents, and police commissioners in West Bengal about the Election Commission of India’s power to take action against officers failing in their duties even after the state’s Assembly elections. The warning was issued during a meeting between the ECI’s full bench and the mentioned officials on the first day of their visit to West Bengal.
Kumar emphasized a zero-tolerance policy towards violence, firearms, and crude bombs during this year’s elections, instructing the police to seize illegal weapons and explosives before the polls. He also stressed the need for strict action against violence post-election, referring to past incidents in West Bengal after the 2021 Assembly polls.
Furthermore, the CEC urged the police to maintain impartiality and instructed them to promptly file FIRs in cases involving the dissemination of fake news or misinformation on social media. The Commission’s full bench is scheduled to meet with top state bureaucrats and police officials on March 10, followed by a press conference led by the CEC, before returning to Delhi later that day.
