A PIL was filed on Monday before the Calcutta high court seeking its intervention over an alleged apprehension that nearly 800 Trinamool workers and leaders may be arrested after their names were reportedly identified on directions of the EC.
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Any instance of voter intimidation or disturbance caused by any of these persons will be viewed seriously, ECI said in a letter. “Accountability be fixed at all levels, from top to bottom in the Police hierarchy, in case any such incident occurs in their jurisdiction.”
A stringent message has been conveyed by ECI that “all Police Officers and other functionaries at every level (from District Superintendent of Police /Commissioner down to the Officer-in-Charge of the concerned Police Station and SDPOs) that the persons listed shall not be allowed to indulge in any form of trouble-mongering, intimidation, or interference with voters, ECI said.
“The actions may include, but not be limited to, registration of FIR and issuance of notices under appropriate sections of law, preventive detention where justified, increased patrolling in the concerned booths/areas, and close monitoring of their movements during the election period,” ECI directed DGP in the letter as seen by ET. ECI has directed the DGP to “issue directions to concerned officers to take immediate suitable preventive actions against all such persons after due diligence and in accordance with law.”
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Meanwhile, DGP has been asked to ensure that “communication reaches all concerned officers immediately through the fastest possible means and that compliance reports be submitted by concerned CPs/SPS to this office on a daily basis until the completion of the elections.”
In the first phase, 3,60,77,171 voters will go to polls, with 1,84,99,496 male voters and 1,75,77,210 female voters and 465 transgenders. The 152 constituencies in the first phase, with over 44, 378 polling booths, including auxiliary ones, will go to polls on April 23.
AI-enabled system, 100% webcasting starts today
ECI has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI)-based surveillance system to flag booth jamming and other irregularities inside and outside the polling booths during the assembly elections in West Bengal.
An AI-enabled Control Command Centre at West Bengal CEO’s office, control rooms at the DEO’s office and returning officers’ office –– a three-tier system is being evolved and is in place and the testing process is underway.
“This time, 100% webcasting will be done in the assembly polls with GPS tracking of the CAPF. The entire system is in place with an AI system working. Webcasting has started functioning as scheduled on P-1 days,” Bengal Special Rolls Observer Subrata Gupta told ET.
