The West Bengal government has requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to retract its directive for severe disciplinary measures, such as suspension and filing of FIRs, against four electoral officers in the state. The state Home Department’s communication on this issue has been forwarded to the ECI headquarters in New Delhi for a final decision, as confirmed by a source from the CEO’s office.
Among the four officers facing action, two are from Baruipur East Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district: Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) Debottam Dutta Chowdhury and Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) Tathagata Mandal. The other two officers are from Moyna Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district: ERO Biplob Sarkar and AERO Sudipta Das.
Last year, the ECI instructed West Bengal to suspend these officers and file FIRs against them. While the suspension was carried out, FIRs were not lodged, and a Data Entry Operator was also relieved of duties. Recently, the ECI directed district magistrates to register FIRs against the officers, prompting the state government to appeal for a withdrawal of the disciplinary action.
Accused of voter list manipulation, the officers and the Data Entry Operator were to be suspended and have FIRs filed against them as per the ECI’s directive. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the ECI, labeling it as biased and pledged not to take action against the employees.
