Calcutta, March 6: In reply to a CPM request for clarifications regarding its graffiti ban, the Election Commission has said it would not allow defacement of any property anywhere in the state, through graffiti, banners or posters.

Clarifications on ways to deal with existing graffiti, which chief electoral officer Debasish Sen had sought, are yet to arrive, though.

Four people were arrested from the city and Haroa in North 24-Parganas today for allegedly writing poll graffiti. Two persons were also arrested on Hare Street last night while they were pasting advertisement posters on a wall. Deputy commissioner, central, Ajay Kumar, said the two were defacing walls.

The government had issued a notification on February 23 saying the West Bengal Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1976, would be enforced across the state. According to the law, no building can be defaced.

Unhappy with the government’s order, the CPM leadership had sought the clarifications, citing earlier poll panel orders that allowed writing on walls with owners’ permission.

State CPM secretary Anil Biswas had said the party would abide by the commission’s order once the clarification came.

Today Biswas said he received the reply on March 3 and that the poll panel had said the 1976 Act did not permit any sort of defacement. “The commission has said there is nothing contradictory between its instructions and the act’s provisions. No property can be defaced. Not just writing on walls, but banners and posters on any property have been banned.”

Earlier, CPM’s S.R. Pillai and Nilotpal Basu had requested the commission to consider allowing writing on walls with owners’ permission.

Agriculture minister and Forward Bloc leader Kamal Guha said: “Had the officials told us earlier about such a law, we would have had it repealed.”

Deputy commissioner (headquarters) Anuj Sharma said Tarun Sarkar and Bijoy Mondal were arrested around 4 pm today when a police patrol spotted them defacing a wall on Convent Road in Entally.

Four people have been held in the city for writing poll graffiti since police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee yesterday censured the Kalighat police station officer-in-charge and a sub-inspector for letting graffiti writers walk free.