Mamata Banerjee govt finally suspends 4 officials in Bengal electoral roll revision row | Kolkata

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government has suspended four officials accused of adding names of fictitious voters in the electoral roll and compromising data security, people familiar with the matter said.

The move comes weeks after the Election Commission of India ordered the state government on August 5 to suspend two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant EROs and lodge FIRs against them, and a data entry operator.

“Four officials have been suspended. No FIR has been lodged against them yet,” said an official aware of the development.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had previously questioned the ECI’s authority to issue directions to the state government, declaring that she would not punish the officers concerned and would back them.

“Government officers were being threatened. Yesterday two of my government officers were suspended. The state was directed to lodge FIR against them. Has the election been announced? Under which law are you (ECI) directing us? I won’t do this. I won’t punish them,” she said at a political rally two days after the August 5 communication.

The state government stood its ground, and removed two of the five people identified by ECI from election related duties.

The poll panel, however, summoned the state’s chief secretary to Delhi and set a new deadline for the state government.