KOLKATA: The West Bengal government has suspended four officials for irregularities in voter list registration following directions from the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, no FIR has been filed against them.State’s Chief Secretary Manoj Pant will conduct departmental proceedings, sources at Nabanna, the state administrative headquarters, said on Thursday. “The Chief Secretary has sent a compliance report to the ECI,” the sources added.On August 5, the ECI had asked the state government to suspend four officials and a casual worker over irregularities in voter registration. It also directed that an FIR be registered against the four officials and a data entry operator posted in South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts for alleged “criminal activities.”The officials named were Debottam Dutta Choudhury, ERO of Baruipur Purba Assembly constituency; Tathagata Mondal, AERO of Baruipur Purba; Biplab Sarkar, ERO of Moyna; and Sudipta Das, AERO of Moyna.After receiving no response, the ECI on August 8 gave the Chief Secretary a 72-hour deadline to act on its order and submit a compliance report by 3 pm on August 11.In a letter to ECI secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra, on August 11, Pant said Sudipta Das, AERO of Moyna, and Surojit Halder, the data entry operator of Baruipur Purba, had been withdrawn from electoral revision and election duties. He added that no action was being taken against the others at that stage. “Pursuant to your letter, an internal enquiry into the issue as well as a comprehensive review of the existing processes and procedures governing the conduct of the said exercise has been undertaken,” Pant wrote.Any disciplinary measure against state officers who had “consistently demonstrated sincerity and competence” would be “disproportionately harsh,” he said, adding: “Such an action could have a demoralising impact not only on the individuals concerned but also on the broader team of officers engaged in electoral responsibilities and other administrative functions.”Apparently unsatisfied, the ECI summoned Pant to Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi. He appeared on August 13 and assured steps would be taken against the officials within seven days.
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