Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) B B Tandon today came down heavily on the administration for failing to implement the EC order on preventing offenders from participating in the elections. The CEC also ordered the removal of three district magistrates and officers-in-charge of three police stations, besides the suspension of two election officials.The DMs were removed for tardy progress in providing photo-identity cards to voters while the three police officers had allegedly suppressed non-bailable warrants (NBWs). The election officials were charged with inserting anomalies in the electoral rolls.The CEC expressed shock when handed a list of 70,189 proclaimed offenders. The list was not made available earlier to the EC though it had asked the state to furnish a list of people against whom NBWs have been pending for over six months. The EC had also asked the state to execute the pending warrants. Today, Tandon rapped the force and asked the state police chief to intensify the drive and book more than 70,000 offenders on priority.While Tandon grilled the police on failing to produce the list, the police chief said he had been under the impression that the EC had asked for only pending NBWs. The fresh list related to those who have been declared ‘‘proclaimed offenders’’ — against whom property attachment orders have been carried out after they continued to abscond despite NBWs.The CEC said these were the criminals the Commission was on the lookout for, so that they could be put behind bars to build an atmosphere for free and fair polls in the state. ‘‘Anyway, now the police chief has promised to nab all these persons at the earliest. We will continue to review the progress made in this direction,’’ Tandon said.Announcing other tough measures, CEC Tandon said that he had directed the removal of both police and civil officials out of their home district, as well as those posted at a place for more than three years. ‘‘They should not only be transferred but their physical removal from the place should also be ensured,’’ Tandon stressed. He also ordered that no official against whom an FIR has been lodged be given poll duty. The CEC said the Commission was so far firm on making photo identity cards mandatory and hopeful of achieving the target, adding that around 65 per cent coverage had been achieved. On deletion of bogus or duplicate names from the electoral rolls, he said that scrutiny was on and stressed that names would be deleted only after proper verification.Book Siwan MP: DMSIWAN: Siwan DM Santosh Kumar Mal on Thursday ordered that RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, his wife, father and brother be booked for not surrendering their firearms despite a direction to do so after their licences were cancelled.
