Election Commission Seeks DGP Report After Observer’s Vehicle Attacked in Magrahat

The Election Commission has been demanding a detailed report from the West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar. An incident in Magrahat preceded this demand. A vehicle carrying one of its observers was reportedly attacked during an official inspection there. The Commission has issued strict directives. This ensures that its officials are well secured during their field visits.

In the most recent reports, the event occurred on the day when the Election Commission roll observer C. Murugan was carrying out hearings connected with the verifying of the voter lists in Magrahat, South 24 Parganas district. In the line of their duty, the Commission has stressed that observers should get adequate protection of police such as the presence of senior officers.

The series of events started at around 11: 30 am when the observer reached a high school in Magrahat block I where a hearing was in progress. When he went out of the proceedings and was leaving the premises, he was reportedly surrounded by a group of people including South 24 Parganas Zilla Parishad Sabhadhipati Mujibur Rahman Mollah. The group allegedly challenged the procedure being used by the Commission especially the reasons why the Commission was calling people who were already old and seriously ill to hearings rather than officials going to them at home.

Moreover, the demands were increased to permit the political party representatives, more specifically, to be present during the hearing process, namely, the Booth Level Agents (BLAs). The circumstance turned out to be serious as the demonstrations lasted several minutes, which formed the tension.

After this, the observer has gone to Magrahat Block I office and attended a hearing centre in Magrahat Block II. At some point in his stay in the hearing centre, a number of several hundred women were reportedly gathered outside raising slogans based on alleged deprivation on central welfare benefits. Protesters also raised concerns about the non-payment suspension programme on the 100-day employment programme and the postponement of the housing assistance programmes under government programmes.

This was further aggravated as the observer walked out of the BDO office to attend another hearing centre in Magrahat area. It is claimed that protesters encircled his car, hit it, and tried to block the vehicle. It has also been claimed that the locking system on the vehicle was also broken in the accident. Despite the attempts by the police personnel to disperse the crowd, they were outweighed by the protesters making it hard to control the situation.

With the incident being taken seriously, the Election Commission has ordered a thorough report of the state police chief and again hummed that the compromise of the safety of its officials during the election related work will not be tolerated.