EC replaces Koderma poll officials

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 21: The Election Commission has replaced Superintendent of Police of Koderma, the sub-divisional officer and the returning officer for the Koderma Assembly consituency in Bihar for their failure8217; to protect observer Kalpana Mittal Barua from a violent mob on February 14.

Secretary to the Commission K R Prasad said in a release that the observer appointed by the Commission faced a very serious threat while returning from Hazaribagh in the Koderma parliamentary constitueny from a dangerous and violent mob. She was accompanied by a Small Central Industrial Security Force escort, and handled the situation in a calm, cool and couregeous manner, he said. He added that but for her conduct, the consequencues would have been grave.

After reaching Koderma, Baruah met the collector and tried to get in touch with the superintendent of police and other officers. She also sent a report to the Election Commission. After taking into account the reports of the chief electoral officer and the divisional commissioner of Hazaribagh, the Commission came to the conclusion that the entire police administration was a mute spectator to the incident involving the central observer, Prasad said.