Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Saturday directed West Bengal chief secretary to suspend four Kolkata Police officials for “failing” to maintain law and order during BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s nomination filing in Bhabanipur constituency for the upcoming assembly polls.In a circular to the West Bengal chief secretary, the poll panel said that the direction is based on a recommendation from state electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal.“The commission has agreed to the proposal and directs that the aforementioned police officers be suspended and disciplinary proceedings be initiated against them immediately,” the circular read.The missive also directed action against Kolkata Police’s Deputy Commissioner (DC-II), South Division, Siddhartha Dutta; Officer-in-Charge of Alipore Police Station Priyankar Chakraborty; Additional OC Chandi Charan Banerjee; and Sergeant Saurabh Chatterjee.Additionally, the EC also asked the state authorities to ensure that its directions are implemented without delay and that a compliance report be submitted by 11 am on Monday.The poll panel also sought an urgent proposal from the state government to fill up the vacant posts, including that of DC-II, South Division, and the officer-in-charge positions at Alipore Police Station.This comes after TMC workers waved party flags during BJP’s roadshow before Adhikari’s nomination filing on Thursday. Union minister Amit Shah had also accompanied Adhikari for the filing of the nomination papers on April 2 in the seat in south Kolkata, where the leader of the opposition in the outgoing Assembly is pitted against incumbent chief minister Mamata Banerjee.As the convoy approached Kalighat, barely a few hundred metres from Banerjee’s residence, Trinamool Congress workers and supporters gathered on the roadside waving green-and-white party flags, shouting ‘Joy Bangla’ and ‘Mamata Banerjee Zindabad’ slogans.However, the situation turned tense when the BJP roadshow and the TMC protest came face to face near Kalighat.For several minutes, supporters of the two rival camps stood barely a few metres apart, hurling slogans at each other.A thick cordon of police personnel formed a human wall between the two groups to prevent any clash, with officers pushing the rival supporters back on either side of the road.The face-off brought traffic to a halt and heightened tension in the area before the BJP convoy moved ahead.
