Assam: FIR, magisterial probe against 3 polling personnel for issuing extra ballots in home voting
Tinsukia (Assam), Apr 7: An FIR has been lodged and a magisterial inquiry ordered against three polling personnel in Assam's Tinsukia district over allegations of issuing extra ballot papers during home voting, a top official said on Sunday.
Tinsukia District Commissioner Swapneel Paul said the allegations were labelled against the personnel deployed for home voting through postal ballots in Doomdoma assembly constituency in Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat on Saturday.
A team of three polling personnel, accompanied by one videographer and two policemen, were sent for the purpose in the morning.
The polling party reported in the evening that they could complete the postal ballot polling process for 14 electors as per the list given to them, he said.
"However, when they submitted the polled postal ballots and the booklet containing counterfoil and unpolled postal ballot papers, it was noticed that 16 counterfoils were used for 14 voters," the DC, who is also the district election officer, said.
Asked about the anomaly, the three polling personnel claimed that family members of an 88-year-old voter had objected to the poll procedure and demanded another ballot paper for him.
Family members of another 86-year-old voter in the neighbourhood also started raising the same demand, the official said.
The polling personnel issued extra postal ballot papers to both persons "owing to pressure of the public and fearing their safety", Paul said.
"Taking cognizance of the fact that issuance of postal ballot twice to single voter is a gross negligence of duty which may tantamount to corrupt practice as one person can only vote once, an FIR against the personnel was lodged on Saturday," he said.
A magisterial enquiry by Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency Assistant Returning Officer Jabed Arman has been ordered, while the polling personnel have been debarred from all kinds of election duties for the current elections in Tinsukia district with immediate effect, the official said.
The departments from which the polling personnel were deployed have also been intimated and asked to initiate proceedings through a departmental enquiry, the DC added.
Lakhimpur will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Prime organiser of Messi event in Kolkata arrested over ‘mismanagement’ after stadium chaos
Kolkata (PTI): The police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake Stadium here, following widespread chaos at the venue, which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the stadium unrest, Datta was held by the Bidhannagar Police for “mismanagement” of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said at a press conference.
A senior police officer later confirmed that Dutta has been arrested. Till reports last received, the police were interrogating him and his manager inside one of the departure lounges of the airport.
The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, Kumar said.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated, as they failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having travelled from far and wide, paying hefty sums for tickets.
Police said they were also investigating how organisers allowed sale of bottled waters and beverages inside the stadium premises, which are banned items during such events.
Thousands of water bottles were used as missiles and lobbed inside the pitch by angry spectators, who also uprooted bucket seats from the gallery and used them as ammunition inside the field against the defending police and security personnel.
Spectators alleged that water bottles were being sold at a massive premium inside the stadium despite police disallowing such items from outside at the entry gates.
Police agreed there was an underlying tension in the galleries on account of Messi not showing his footballing skills on the field, which only got aggravated after a bunch of VIPs, including State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and unidentified people, blocked the football icon’s view during the limited time he spent on the ground.
“We are on the job, and will ensure that whoever is responsible for what happened today at Salt Lake Stadium will be punished, and action will be taken against the authorities concerned,” said Jawed Shamim, ADG, Law and Order.
