EC asks Kolkata Police for action-taken report on BLO protests outside CEO office

Kolkata, Nov 26 (IANS) Concerned over the protests by a section of booth-level officers (BLOs) in front of the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, for the last couple of days, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday sought an action taken report (ATR) from the Kolkata Police.

The ECI has directed the city police to send the ATR within the next two days.

“The top ECI officials are quite worried over the security of the officers and staff of the CEO’s office. The Commission also feels that the current security arrangement at the CEO’s office is not adequate,” said an insider from the CEO’s office on Wednesday.

It is learnt that the Commission has sent strict instructions to the city police authorities to take all possible measures to ensure the safety and security of officers and staff posted in the office of the CEO, West Bengal, at their residences as well as when they commute from home to office and back.

“The Commission has also directed the Kolkata Police to ensure that adequate security classification is done, considering the sensitivity involved due to SIR activities and the forthcoming elections in the state scheduled next year. The city police authorities have also been asked to ensure that no untoward incident occurs in the future,” the CEO’s office insider said.

Till now, one team of Kolkata Police has been deputed in front of the CEO’s office, and a guardrail barricade is also in place in front of the office.

On Wednesday morning, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose issued a firm remark on the protest by a section of BLOs over the SIR workload outside the Chief Electoral Officer’s office. “These are issues that the administration will have to take care of. If there is any failure on their part, I will certainly intervene,” the Governor said.

Earlier on Tuesday evening, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that the protest by a section of the BLOs involved in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal in front of the CEO’s office was nothing but a “Trinamool Congress-orchestrated circus to intimidate a Constitutional body and sabotage democracy”.

–IANS

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