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United News of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Bengal chief secretary Manoj Pant to appear before ECI today over inaction in Fake Voter Case
Kolkata, Aug 13 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant is expected to appear before Election Commission of India (ECI) in the national capital today to explain the state's failure to file FIRs against four poll officials accused of compromising voter rolls. The ECI yesterday summoned the chief secretary and asked him to appear before it in New Delhi by 5 pm on Wednesday to explain the controversial issue. The ECI, following a report from the state election office, has directed to put those accused Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) under suspension and register FIRs against them. The deadline was 3 pm on Monday. Sources said Pant, in a letter, said that two of the four officers had been withdrawn from election duties, and that an inquiry is still ongoing. Another data entry official has been withdrawn from the work. The five officials have been accused of fraudulently registering 127 voters using forged documents in the Baruipur Purba (South 24 Parganas) and Moyna (Tamluk in East Medinipur) assembly constituencies. On August 5, the top poll panel asked the chief secretary to suspend two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) for irregularities in the registration of names in voter lists in two constituencies -Baruipur Purba and Moyna. The panel also directed us to file FIRs against the EROs and AEROs for "criminal misconduct" as well as the data entry operator. The poll officers named by the ECI include Debottam Dutta Choudhury (ERO), Tathagata Mondal (AERO), Biplab Sarkar (ERO) and Sudipta Das (AERO). The ECI accused the officers of violating the data security system by sharing their login credentials with unauthorized individuals. The ECI noted that officers involved in electoral duties were considered to be on deputation to the commission and were subject to its control, superintendence, and discipline during that period. On August 8, the ECI sent a reminder, stating that no compliance report had been received. The ECI then directed that the necessary action be taken, and a compliance report be furnished by 3 pm on August 11. It is worth mentioning that no FIRs were not filed against four officials, who have been accused of compromising voter lists by enrolling fake voters and sharing their passwords with data entry officials, official sources said. UNI PC MI AAB
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Today in Politics: Bengal chief secy may appear before EC to ‘explain' Mamata govt's decision not to suspend ‘erring officials'
A day after the West Bengal government wrote to the Election Commission (EC) that it doesn't intend to suspend just yet its officers accused of committing 'irregularities' in electoral roll revision, the poll panel on Tuesday summoned state Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to Delhi to explain the decision, sources said. The state's top bureaucrat was directed to report in person to Nirvachan Sadan, the EC headquarters in the national capital, by 5 pm on August 13. The move came in response to Pant's communication to the ECI on Monday, stating that suspending the identified officers and filing FIRs against them, as directed by the poll panel, would be 'disproportionately harsh' and have 'demoralising impact' on the officers' community in Bengal. The government, instead, chose to remove two of the five EC-identified officials from active election duty for now and initiate an 'internal inquiry' into the matter. It is interpreted by observers as a fresh flash point in the ongoing face-off between the Mamata Banerjee government and the EC. Sources in the state secretariat Nabanna said that the chief secretary was likely to fly to Delhi on Wednesday and meet the Commission, as directed. Pant on Monday had responded to an EC-set deadline to execute a suspension order against five officials – two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) – and a casual data entry operator for allegedly committing irregularities while preparing electoral rolls in Baruipur Purba and Moyna assembly constituencies in South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur districts respectively. The poll panel had also directed the chief secretary to lodge FIRs against all five accused and sought an action taken report from the top bureaucrat at the earliest. RSS chief Bhagwat in Odisha RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is likely to begin a three-day visit to Odisha from Wednesday during which he will meet Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and attend an event in Cuttack. Senior RSS functionary Sumanta Kumar Panda said Bhagwat will reach Bhubaneswar in the evening on August 13 and stay at the Utkal Bipanna Sahayata Samiti office in Mancheswar area. The RSS chief had last visited Odisha in May this year and attended a meeting of select volunteers of the organisation, Panda said. Trade unions to protest against Trump tariff Central trade unions and farmers have called for a nationwide protest on Wednesday to oppose US President Donald Trump's tariff threats and the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The CTUs-SKM, a group of ten central trade unions and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, strongly condemned the recent threats by Trump to impose 25 per cent tariffs on India, and an additional penalty for the nation's oil purchase from Russia. 'CTUs-SKM calls upon all farmers, workers, students, and patriotic citizens to join the nationwide day of resistance on August 13, 2025, with various mass actions like tractor and motorcycle rallies, protest demonstrations, public gatherings, and other forms of protest as decided by different platforms and partner organizations.' the CTUs-SKM said in a statement. Will Jain monk begin hunger strike over pigeon issue? Jain monk Muni Nileshchandra Vijay has warned of launching an indefinite hunger strike from Wednesday against the decision to shut down Dadar Kabutarkhana to stop people from feeding pigeons and asserted the community would not abide by court orders on the issue if it went against their religious practices. The Jain community is peaceful, but if needed, it will take up arms for religion, he had said on Sunday. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Vijay said, 'We will follow the path of satyagraha and hunger strike. The Jain community is peaceful, but if needed, we will take up arms for our religion. If any decision goes against our faith, we will not accept even the court's order.' He claimed more than 10 lakh Jains from all over the country will take part in the protest. 'The ban targets Jain traditions. The move is politically motivated with elections in mind. ?From ants to elephants, no living being should die (from hunger), that is what our religion teaches. Why is Jainism being targeted? Show how many people die after consuming liquor and chicken,' the monk further said.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bengal voter list revision row: EC summons CS to Delhi to explain non-removal of 'tainted' officers
A day after the West Bengal government wrote to the Election Commission of India that it doesn't intend to suspend just yet its officers alleged to have committed "irregularities" in electoral roll revision, the poll panel on Tuesday summoned state Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to Delhi to explain the decision, sources said. The state's top bureaucrat was directed to report in person to Nirvachan Sadan , the ECI headquarters in the national capital, by 5 pm on August 13. Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 4 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 3 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals By Vaibhav Sisinity View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 2 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass Batch-1 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program The move came in response to Pant's communication to the ECI on Monday, stating that suspending the identified officers and filing FIRs against them, as directed by the poll panel, would be "disproportionately harsh" and have "demoralising impact" on the officers' community in Bengal. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Undo The government, instead, chose to remove two of the five ECI-identified officials from active election duty for now and initiate an "internal inquiry" into the matter. It is interpreted by observers as a fresh flash point in the ongoing face-off between the Mamata Banerjee government and the ECI. Live Events Sources in the state secretariat 'Nabanna' said that the chief secretary was likely to fly to Delhi on Wednesday and meet the Commission, as directed. Pant on Monday had responded to an EC-set deadline to execute a suspension order against five officials - two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) - and a casual data entry operator for allegedly committing irregularities while preparing electoral rolls in Baruipur Purba and Moyna assembly constituencies in South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur districts respectively. The poll panel had also directed the chief secretary to lodge FIRs against all five accused and sought an action taken report from the top bureaucrat at the earliest. Any disciplinary measure without holding a thorough inquiry on state government officers who have "consistently demonstrated sincerity and competence" would be "disproportionately harsh", the chief secretary wrote to the ECI in his response. The government informed the Commission that it had removed two personnel - Sudipta Das, AERO, Moyna AC, and Surajit Halder, data entry operator at Baruipur Purba AC - from electoral revision and poll-related duties as "a first step" in its process of assigning responsibility for the alleged irregularity. The state's response did not mention any action taken against the three other officers identified by the ECI, two of whom are officers of WBCS (Executive) rank, and stated that "further action taken report will be submitted post completion of enquiry". Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had questioned the Commission's jurisdiction and legality of the move while alleging that the BJP was using the ECI to "intimidate state government officers". "We will not suspend them; We will protect you. I will continue to be your 'pehredar' (guard)," Banerjee said at a public meeting in Jhargram last week, while tearing into the poll panel, and accusing it of functioning like "bonded labourers" of the BJP.
United News of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
ECI summons Bengal Chief Secretary over refusal to suspend officials in voter roll case
Kolkata, Aug 12 (UNI) A day after the West Bengal government informed the Election Commission of India (ECI) that it would not immediately suspend five officials accused of irregularities in the electoral roll revision, the poll panel today summoned state chief secretary Manoj Pant to New Delhi. Pant has been directed to appear in person at Nirvachan Sadan, the ECI headquarters in New Delhi, by 5 p.m. on August 13 to explain the state's stance—marking another flashpoint in the ongoing tussle between the Mamata Banerjee-led government and the ECI. The controversy stems from alleged lapses in the voter lists of Baruipur East in South 24 Parganas and Moyna in East Midnapore. On August 8, the Commission reiterated its earlier directive to suspend two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), and a data entry operator, and to file FIRs against them. The officials—ERO Debottam Dutta Chowdhury and AERO Tathagata Mandal for Baruipur East; ERO Biplab Sarkar and AERO Sudipta Das for Moyna; and data entry operator Surajit Halder—are accused of failing in their duties and violating data security protocols by sharing login credentials for the voter registration database with unauthorised persons. According to the ECI, if found guilty, the accused face imprisonment of at least three months, extendable to two years, along with a fine. The poll body has also recommended departmental inquiries. However, in his communication to the Commission on Monday, Pant argued that immediate suspension and criminal proceedings would be 'disproportionately harsh' and risk 'demoralising' Bengal's bureaucracy. He noted that district officials often delegate tasks in good faith due to multiple time-bound responsibilities. Instead, the state has reassigned Sudipta Das and Surajit Halder from election-related duties and launched an internal inquiry, but the other three officials remain in their posts. Nabanna has informed the Chief Electoral Officer that a 'further action taken report' will be submitted once the inquiry concludes. The ECI is expected to review Pant's explanation before deciding on further action, as political tensions in Bengal continue to simmer over the issue. UNI XC BM
India Today
7 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Poll body vs Mamata: Top Bengal official summoned amid row over 'fake entries'
The Election Commission (ECI) has summoned the West Bengal chief secretary for not removing and filing FIRs against four state poll officers accused of adding names of fictitious voters to the electoral roll. The chief secretary has been asked to appear before the poll watchdog on Wednesday at 5 August 5, the ECI asked the chief secretary to suspend two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) for irregularities in the registration of names in voter lists in two constituencies - Baruipur Purba and poll body had also directed registration of FIRs against the EROs and AEROs for "criminal misconduct" as well as the data entry operator. The poll officers named by the ECI include Debottam Dutta Choudhury (ERO), Tathagata Mondal (AERO), Biplab Sarkar (ERO) and Sudipta Das (AERO).The ECI also accused the officers of violating data security policies by sharing their login credentials with unauthorised ECI noted that officers involved in electoral duties were considered to be on deputation to the commission and were subject to its control, superintendence, and discipline during that August 8, the ECI sent a reminder, stating that no compliance report had been received. The ECI then directed that the necessary action be taken, and a compliance report be furnished by 3 pm on August RESPONDSHowever, in its response, the Bengal chief secretary, Manoj Pant, said an internal inquiry and a comprehensive review of existing processes had been argued that district-level officials and field officers have a wide range of responsibilities and sometimes delegate tasks to subordinate staff "in good faith".The letter said taking action before a detailed inquiry could be a "disproportionately harsh measure" that might have a "demoralising impact" on the officers a preliminary measure, the services of Sudipta Das and the data entry operator have been withdrawn from election-related duties, the chief secretary said.- EndsTune InMust Watch
