E-Paper
Bengal SIR: ECI suspends 7 government officers for dereliction of duty
The SIR was rolled out in West Bengal on November 4, and the draft electoral roll was published on December 16
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has suspended seven West Bengal government officers deputed for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll as additional electoral registration officers (AEROs) for alleged misconduct, dereliction of duty, and misuse of statutory powers, people aware of the matter said.
It has directed the West Bengal chief secretary, Nandini Chakravorty, to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the seven immediately.
“Using its powers under section 13CC of the RP [Representation Of The People] Act, 1950, the ECI has placed under suspension seven officials in West Bengal with immediate effect,” said an ECI official.
On Friday, chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the election commissioners held a virtual meeting with ECI officials and district election officers in West Bengal and warned of strict action over lapses in duties.
The ECI has issued a series of directions to the state government, including the filing of cases over alleged fictitious voters in the electoral roll and compromising data security
The ECI has summoned Chakravorty to New Delhi over non-compliance with the panel’s orders. The ECI has set a February 17 deadline for compliance.
The SIR was rolled out in the state on November 4, and the draft electoral roll was published on December 16. Around 5.8 million names of absent, permanently shifted, dead, and duplicate voters were deleted from the draft roll. Another nearly 15.2 million voters, whose names could not be mapped with the 2002 electoral roll and those with logical discrepancies, were called for hearings that concluded on Saturday.
