Taking major action, the Election Commission in West Bengal has suspended 7 government officials with immediate effect. These officials have been accused of serious negligence in election related work, dereliction of duty and misuse of their powers. These officers were entrusted with the responsibility of Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The Election Commission has written a letter to State Chief Secretary Nandani Chakraborty and directed to initiate immediate disciplinary action against all of them. The officers on whom this matter has fallen were posted as Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AERO) in different districts.
Also read: BLO called girlfriend’s husband on the pretext of SIR, cut him into pieces and threw him in the canal
Officials of which districts measured?
Among the officers against whom the Election Commission has taken action, three officers are from Murshidabad district. Dr Sefaur Rehman (Shamsherganj), Nitish Das (Farakka) and SK Murshid Alam (Suti) have been suspended. Apart from this, Satyajit Das and Jaideep Kundu from South 24 Parganas, Debashish Biswas from West Medinipur and Dalia Rai Chaudhary from Jalpaiguri have been suspended.
Why has the Election Commission taken this decision?
The Election Commission has adopted a strict stance and made it clear that any irregularities in the election process will not be tolerated. A report has been sought from the state government on the action taken against these officers as soon as possible.
Also read: Picture changed after SIR in Assam, new voter list released; lakhs of names removed
What are the charges against the officers?
There are allegations of serious irregularities, arbitrariness and proven violations of election laws in the investigation of complaints against officials. The Commission clarified that any kind of negligence or arbitrariness will not be tolerated in the SIR process. This action has come at a time when the SIR hearing has been completed and the final voter list is scheduled to be published on 28 February 2026.
Also read: Supreme Court said in Bengal SIR case – obstruction in work will not be tolerated
Under what authority has the Election Commission taken this action?
The Election Commission has taken this action under Section 13CC of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Most of the suspended officers are Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AERO) and Assistant Registration Officers (ARO).
Comments are closed.