Kolkata, April 1 – Amid ongoing tension and demonstrations outside the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in central Kolkata, West Bengal, which began on Tuesday afternoon and continued on Wednesday, the Kolkata Police have expanded the area around the office where prohibitory orders are in effect.
These orders, which prohibit the gathering of more than a specified number of people at one time, will remain in place until the state assembly elections next month are over and the results are announced.
Until now, the prohibitory orders were enforced only on the road in front of the CEO's office. However, according to the new directive, the area has been extended to cover a much larger stretch around the office, from the nearby Koilghata Crossing to Kiran Shankar Roy Road.
The decision by the Kolkata Police comes in the wake of a strong warning issued earlier in the day by the Election Commission of India (ECI), which made it clear that any form of hooliganism in front of the CEO's office would not be tolerated.
On Tuesday, a major clash broke out between supporters of the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in front of the CEO's office. Subsequently, the Trinamool Congress staged a night-long protest there, accusing the BJP and the ECI of enrolling voters from other states in West Bengal's electoral rolls through mass submission and acceptance of Form-6 applications.
On Wednesday afternoon, two rounds of protests were witnessed at the same location. First, members of an association of booth-level officers (BLOs) affiliated with the Trinamool Congress staged a demonstration on the same issue.
Soon after, BJP supporters reached the spot and raised counter-slogans, leading to a tense situation in the area. State police and central armed police forces (CAPF) deployed there struggled to keep the rival groups apart.
Meanwhile, a group of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) also gathered near the CEO's office and staged a protest against the alleged harassment of voters during the special intensive revision (SIR) process.
Amid the continuing unrest since Tuesday, the Kolkata Police on Wednesday decided to expand the jurisdiction of the prohibitory orders to prevent further escalation and maintain law and order in the area.