The Election Commission of India (ECI)’s directive to suspend four officers accused of irregularities in the voter list process remains unimplemented, with the state government, instead, opting for partial action. In a letter sent to Chief Election Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal on Monday, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant confirmed that while suspensions have not been carried out, two of the officers have been withdrawn from election-related duties.
The four officers flagged by the Commission are ERO Debottam Dutta Chowdhury and AERO Tathagata Mandal of Baruipur East Assembly Constituency in South 24 Parganas, ERO Biplob Sarkar and AERO Sudipta Das of Maina constituency in East Midnapore. The Commission also recommended filing an FIR against Surjit Halder, a casual data entry operator involved in Form-6 processing.
In his letter, Pant stated that no strict punitive action has been taken yet, but an internal investigation is underway. He argued that district and block-level officers carry multiple administrative responsibilities and certain tasks are often delegated to subordinates based on trust.
Pant cautioned that suspending officers with long records of “dedication and efficiency” before a full investigation could demoralise not only the accused but also the wider administrative workforce.
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For now, the government has withdrawn election duties from AERO Das and data entry operator Halder. The Chief Secretary assured the Commission that a detailed report will be submitted after the investigation concludes.
Observers see the move as a deliberate balancing act by Nabanna, the state secretariat. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has previously stated in a public rally in Jhargram that no officer would be suspended over the matter, reportedly to avoid triggering resentment within the bureaucracy.
Notably, no action has been taken against the two WBCS executive officers, the two accused EROs, named in the EC’s suspension order, while only a subordinate employee and a contractual data entry operator have been removed from election duties.
Sources said the ongoing internal probe could delay decisive action, effectively putting the matter on hold. “It remains to be seen whether the ECI will accept the partial compliance or press Nabanna with a renewed directive,” said an official at Nabanna.
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