Flagging what it termed a grave threat to its officials in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India has filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking a change in its January 19 order issuing directions to the poll body and the state government.
In the order, the Supreme Court had directed that hearings for voters under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls be conducted at Panchayat Bhawans. This was to ensure fair hearings for the 1.36 crore citizens who figured on the logical discrepancy list and faced exclusion from the voter list. The court had also directed the Mamata Banerjee government to aid the EC and ensure law and order is maintained during the process.
The application, along with earlier affidavits by the poll body, which had accused Chief Minister Banerjee of giving "provocative speeches", will become crucial in the upcoming hearing in the Supreme Court on Monday.
In the affidavits, the EC had informed the Supreme Court that its officials conducting the SIR in Bengal are facing serious threats to their safety, forcing some to withdraw from duty after violent incidents at hearing venues. Micro-observers and ground-level election workers, the poll body said, were "made to fear for their lives while discharging their democratic obligation."
The Commission urged the court to allow hearings to be shifted to safer locations.
Citing examples, the Election Commission said a Block Development Officer had informed the local police that, on January 22, a group of unruly individuals stormed an SIR hearing venue at Itahar High School, ransacking the premises and destroying official documents.
More serious incidents were reported from Farakka and Chakulia, where crowds of over 1,000 people allegedly vandalised Block Office premises.
In Farakka, micro-observers were "brutally attacked," with two officials sustaining serious injuries, the modification application said.
The Election Commission alleged that no police personnel were present at the site, and no security or administrative support had been provided.
"The Micro Observers were made to fear for their lives, and ultimately, compelled to withdraw from their duties," it stated.
Such incidents, the poll body argued, reflect the "grave on-ground reality" in the state, reiterating that Panchayat Bhawan-level hearings are not suitable under prevailing conditions.
During Mamata Banerjee's arguments in the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Election Commission, had said that there was an "atmosphere of hostility" in West Bengal against EC officials.
He also requested that a public interest litigation filed by an organisation named Sanatani Sangsad, seeking protection for election officials, be heard alongside the petition moved by Banerjee. He said the affidavits filed by the EC will be relevant for that PIL as well.
