EC directs West Bengal DGP to ensure safety of poll officials during SIR exercise
Kolkata (PTI): The Election Commission wrote to West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, directing him to ensure the security of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the SIR exercise after receiving reports that there is "an apparent threat" to their safety.
This is EC's second letter to the state government in three days, expressing concern over the security of poll officials in West Bengal.
On Wednesday, the EC wrote to Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma over a "serious security breach" at the CEO's office, following an agitation by a section of BLOs against "excessive work pressure".
The EC wrote to the DGP on Friday as state BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya urged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to immediately visit the state and personally assess what he alleged was an "atmosphere of fear, coercion and intimidation" of BLOs by the ruling Trinamool Congress.
"It has come to the notice of the Election Commission of India from various quarters that there is an apparent threat to the safety and security of the lives of Booth Level Officers and other field functionaries. This may prevent them from discharging their statutory duties towards the conduct of SIR," said the letter sent by EC secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra.
"The Commission is concerned about the safety and security of Booth Level Officers and other field functionaries engaged in SIR work and therefore directs that all possible measures will be taken by police authorities to ensure the safety and security of these officers and staff," it added.
The EC insisted that the state must ensure there is no "perceptible atmosphere of fear, threat and undue influence" on the field functionaries and that no untoward incident occurs at any place.
Over 80,000 BLOs are currently engaged in the distribution, collection and digitisation of enumeration forms for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
Accusing the TMC of unleashing a "threat culture" to manipulate the process, the BJP state president alleged that the BLOs were being forced to work under duress, often pressured to upload false data, and said that the EC "cannot monitor West Bengal's volatile ground reality from Delhi with a few routine statements and phone calls".
Meanwhile, a senior officer at the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO's) office said that in the wake of the recent "security breach" at the central Kolkata building, the EC has directed that the process of the shifting of the office to a security-appropriate location, which had already been set in motion before, now be expedited.
"The EC has also directed the Kolkata Police commissioner to ensure complete security of the existing as well as the new office of the CEO, West Bengal," he said.
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RBI does not target any band for rupee, allows it to find its own level: Guv Malhotra
Mumbai (PTI): Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday said the central bank does not target any band for the rupee in the forex market, and allows the domestic currency to find its own correct level.
The governor's statement came at a time when the rupee breached the 90-mark against the US dollar, and is hovering near that level.
"We don't target any price levels or any bands. We allow the markets to determine the prices. We believe that markets, especially in the long run, are very efficient. It's a very deep market," he said while replying to a question on rupee depreciation at a post-monetary policy press meet.
Malhotra said fluctuations in the market keep taking place, and the effort of the RBI is always to reduce any abnormal or excessive volatility.
"And that is what we will continue to endeavour," he added.
In its bi-monthly monetary policy, the RBI announced three-year USD/INR Buy Sell swaps of USD 5 billion this month.
When asked if the USD-INR swap is aimed at checking rupee depreciation, Malhotra said, "It is a liquidity measure. It is not to support the rupee".
Stressing that RBI does not target any level of rupee against the US dollar, he said the central bank allows "the rupee find its correct position, correct level".
The governor further said the country has sufficient foreign exchange reserves and the current account is manageable, and given the strong fundamentals of the economy, the country should witness good capital flows going forward.
Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) to India recorded a net outflow of USD 0.7 billion in 2025-26, so far (April-December 03), due to unabated withdrawal from the equity segment.
Flows under external commercial borrowings and non-resident deposit accounts moderated compared to the last year.
As of November 28, 2025, India's foreign exchange reserves stood at USD 686.2 billion, providing a robust import cover of more than 11 months.
The governor further said that, having reduced the policy rate (repo) by 25 basis points, the focus will now be on transmission of the rate cut to the real economy.
According to the RBI's November bulletin, the depreciation of the rupee in October was due to a stronger dollar, following the US Fed's policy announcement to lower the Federal funds rate.
Nevertheless, strong fundamentals, such as stable inflation, a resilient growth outlook for the Indian economy, a narrower current account deficit, steady services exports, robust private remittances, and robust foreign exchange reserves, have contributed to the rupee being the least volatile among emerging market and developing economies.
The rupee has performed better than the Euro, and its depreciation has been in line with that of other currencies, such as the Japanese Yen and the Korean Won (for April to November 2025-26).
The central bank has announced various measures over the last 3 years to diversify and expand the sources of foreign exchange funding, aiming to mitigate exchange rate volatility and dampen global spillovers.
The RBI bi-monthly policy in October had announced some measures to enhance the use of the rupee in international trade.
