Kolkata, March 27 – The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday directed the West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police to execute all pending arrest warrants without bail in the state within the next 10 days and take into custody all those against whom such warrants have been issued within that period.
At the same time, the Commission also directed the state police and the city police to dispose of all poll-related criminal cases from the previous elections as soon as possible.
Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said that the Commission has also reminded that with the Model Code of Conduct already in force, all state government employees are now on deputation to the ECI, and hence the Commission has the authority to take disciplinary action against them in case of any dereliction of duty.
Regarding the execution of the pending arrest warrants without bail, the Commission has directed the Sub-Divisional Police Officers (SDPOs) and the Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) to immediately prepare a list of absconding criminals and conduct special raids and searches to track and apprehend them.
The officers-in-charge (OCs) and the inspectors-in-charge (ICs) have been instructed to immediately identify those areas under their respective jurisdictions that are highly prone to criminal activities, and also identify those rowdy elements or criminals who have a history of involvement in poll-related violence.
The OCs and ICs have further been advised by the Commission to ensure absolute security for political campaign programmes, irrespective of political affiliations, besides ensuring the safety and security of those engaged in election-related duties.
The two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal are scheduled for April 23 and April 29. In the first phase, polling will be held for 152 Assembly constituencies, and in the second phase, polling will be held for the remaining 142 Assembly constituencies. The results will be declared on May 4.
