Siliguri (WB), March 29 The Election Commission has suspended three personnel from the central armed police force after a video purportedly showing them playing carrom inside a Trinamool Congress (TMC) office in Siliguri went viral, a senior official said on Sunday.
A departmental inquiry into the matter has been ordered, he said.
The video, purportedly shot on Saturday, shows one personnel playing carrom with three local youths, another standing, and a third seated on a chair inside the TMC office in Siliguri.
However,
BJP candidate for the Siliguri Assembly constituency, Jagannath Chatterjee, condemned the incident, calling it "extremely reprehensible and disappointing."
"It is unclear how and where the central forces are being deployed. If the local administration or police were involved in this carrom game, strict action should be taken against them as well," Chatterjee said.
Congress district president Sanjay Adhikari expressed similar concern, saying, "Playing carrom is not a crime, but doing so inside a political party's office is inappropriate."
Responding to the controversy, TMC district co-vice president Malay Mukherjee said, "Those who were working here understand that casually interacting with TMC is not a crime. That is probably why they were talking and playing carrom."
