Bengal: EC warns BLOs against violating rules on form distribution; show-causes 8 for non-compliance
Kolkata (PTI): The Election Commission has show-caused eight Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in West Bengal for allegedly distributing enumerating forms for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) from tea stalls, local clubs and other places instead of visiting individual households, officials said.
The EC also issued a new set of directives to ensure strict adherence to procedures during the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in the state.
Officials at the state Chief Electoral Office here said the EC has expressed dissatisfaction over the lapses and directed all District Election Officers (DEOs) and District Magistrates to ensure that BLOs personally visit every voter’s residence to distribute and collect forms in compliance with electoral norms.
"The Commission has instructed state authorities to follow the 'Bihar Model', under which BLOs are required to both distribute and collect forms directly from voters’ homes," the official said on Saturday.
"Any officer found negligent in duty will face disciplinary action. So far, eight BLOs have been show-caused for allegedly violating these instructions," he said.
To ensure effective monitoring, the EC has ordered the formation of control rooms at the district level and directed the appointment of one BLO supervisor for every 10 booths, he said.
Additionally, the Commission has launched a special helpline for citizens to report complaints related to BLO conduct or irregularities in the enumeration process, the poll panel official said.
"These measures are aimed at tightening supervision and maintaining transparency in the voter list revision exercise across the state," he said.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
