Kolkata Police on Tuesday arrested 'Bangla Pokkho' leader Garga Chatterjee over allegations of spreading misinformation regarding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the recently concluded Assembly elections, a senior officer said.
During the election, Chatterjee questioned EVM functioning during counting despite machines being sealed overnight. He had also claimed that “the Election Commission has some plans for later in the day”. He further advised voters to carefully verify the VVPAT before leaving polling booths.
Chatterjee heads Bangla Pokkho, a Bengali identity-based organisation founded in 2017 that advocates protection of Bengali language, culture and employment opportunities for local youths in West Bengal.
The primary allegation against Chatterjee relates to social media posts made by him on polling day, questioning the functioning of EVMs and the electoral process, he said.
"The complaint against him was lodged by the District Election Officer (DEO) of Kolkata North, following which the cyber cell initiated action. He was summoned twice in connection with the matter, but he did not appear, and that is the reason he was arrested today," Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand told reporters at Lalbazar.
Chatterjee had raised questions over alleged EVM malfunctioning on April 23, the day of the first phase of polling, when voting reportedly started late at several booths due to technical glitches, another police officer said.
In a Facebook post, Chatterjee had questioned why EVMs developed problems in the morning despite having undergone checks the previous night. He had also advised voters to carefully verify VVPAT slips before leaving the polling booths after casting their votes.
On May 4, the day of counting, Chatterjee again targeted the Election Commission through a social media post alleging that the poll panel was carrying out a "secret plan", the officer said.
"He was arrested on the basis of specific complaints related to spreading misinformation and creating confusion regarding the electoral process," a police officer said.
Chatterjee is likely to be produced before a court on Wednesday, sources added.