If you don’t behave, we will cancel your polls: EC warns Bengal

In Kolkata, Bandopadhyay said he would file the FIR tomorrow under Sections 153, 171C (2), 189, 503, 504 and 505 (1) of the IPC. ‘‘I will file the FIR at the police station under whose jurisdiction Alimuddin Street, the headquarters of the state CPM, falls,’’ he said. Bose will be charged with inciting violence and jeopardising the poll process.

The strong EC reaction followed media reports quoting Bose as directing party cadres to drag poll observers who exceeded their brief ‘‘by the neck’’ to the nearest police stations. Bose, who has been criticising the role of poll observers for some time now, reportedly warned that CPM workers would identify, detain and send those who overstepped their limits to police custody.

A visibly angry EC called a briefing this evening to emphasise the point that the CPM leader’s statements ‘‘amount to intimidation of election observers’’.

Speaking to the media, EC spokesman A N Jha said: ‘‘The statements are highly provocative and amount to interfering in the electoral process and intimidation of poll observers.’’

The EC is also issuing a notice to the CPM to show cause why action should not be taken, under 16 A of the Election Symbols Reservation and Allotment order, for interfering in the functioning of the poll observers.

Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, Bose admitted that he was in a ‘‘state of excitement’’ while addressing the media yesterday, but reiterated his view that a section of observers were acting as investigators instead of supervising the poll arrangements.

Clarifying yesterday’s statement, he said: ‘‘What I meant was that observers should not do what they are not supposed to do. In no way do I intend to create any problem in the poll process.’’

Denying the charges of inciting people, he said: ‘‘I have objected to the nature of investigations being carried out by certain observers… It is not their job to ask questions as to why people were voting for the Left Front. We have never seen observers behaving this way in the past.’’

Meanwhile, the special election observer for West Bengal, Afzal Amanullah, denied that any observer had overstepped his jurisdiction as alleged by Bose. ‘‘Under what law can you take these observers to the police stations? It’s a civil society and there is a rule of law here. I don’t think any of the observers have crossed their limits. I have got no complaints alleging bias by any observer,’’ he said.

The EC has directed the state government to ensure adequate security for its 127 observers appointed for the 42 constituencies that are going to polls tomorrow. The observers should be able to move around in the constituencies, said Jha.