Bengal Panchayat Polls | Cops tried to duplicate ballots papers in Purulia: Adhir to SEC

The State Election Commissioner, however, did not respond to the allegation. A senior SEC official said, “We will investigate the allegation."

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Bengal panchayat elections, Bengal panchayat polls, State Election Commission, poll violence in bengal, TMC, Trinamool Congress, West Bengal, Kolkata, Indian Express, current affairs

West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

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West Bengal Congress unit president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday wrote to the State Election Commission (SEC) claiming that the Purulia police was trying to duplicate ballot papers by forcing three officials to hand over the master key of a computer server.

In his letter, Chowdhury said, “Three WBCS (West Bengal Civil Service) officers posted in Purulia were forced by senior police officials to hand over the master key of the computer server so that they could print identical ballot papers with same serial numbers. But when the officers refused to comply, their transfer orders were issued by the state secretariat on June 25. This was how honest officers were rewarded. The intention of those police officers was to replace the ballot boxes with the tampered ones. These khaki-clad TMC cadres are trying to turn the panchayat election into a big farce.”

He further wrote, “There is no arguing the fact that since the official announcement of the panchayat elections, the Opposition candidates, especially of the Congress, have been facing physical assaults by TMC hooligans in a nexus with a section of the police administration.”

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He also claimed that withdrawal of nominations at gunpoint, physical assaults, mental harassment, display of arms, door-to-door intimidations are daily occurrences.

A senior official said, “Two officials of the Purulia district administration, including an additional district magistrate, were transferred to the personnel department after they gave deputation to the district magistrate against orders to the BDO to give the master key to the police.”

The State Election Commissioner, however, did not respond to the allegation. A senior SEC official said,

“We will investigate the allegation.”

Earlier, similar allegations were made by Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari during his panchayat election campaign in Purba Medinipur.

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