Six IPS officers, mostly from BJP-ruled states, have been appointed as police observers to oversee law enforcement in Calcutta during the Assembly elections.
These officers will have the authority to seek reports directly from officers-in-charge of police stations in Calcutta on developments during the day, the level of poll preparedness and anti-crime measures, senior officials said. These police observers will report to the Election Commission.
The EC released a detailed list of police observers for Bengal on Tuesday, assigning these officers to six segments in Calcutta and its suburbs, which go to the polls in the second phase on April 29.
The officers are:
Sources in the state home department said the officers are expected to arrive “in a day or two” to take charge of their constituencies.
“The police observers will play a crucial role before the polls and on polling day. They will decide the fate of police officers, including last-minute recommendations for transfers and suspensions through their reports to the EC,” a senior Bengal officer said.
“All officers-in-charge of police stations must report to these observers and provide documents to support their claims when asked.”
Officials familiar with the role of police observers during elections said the six officers will have three primary responsibilities:
The observers will begin by meeting the officers-in-charge and collecting a list of “vulnerable” areas identified in police reports. “The observers will want to know why certain areas are considered vulnerable and the status of poll premises,” a senior home department official said.
They will also scrutinise how often central forces have conducted area domination exercises in these areas and examine the corresponding reports.
Sources said the observers will monitor which sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Shastra (BNS) and Bharatiya Nagrika Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) are being applied by the officers-in-charge for pre-poll violence, and evaluate the measures taken to restore law and order.
“The Girish Park incident, where a minister was attacked, will also be under their review. They will seek reports from the deputy commissioner of police in charge of that division of Kolkata Police,” an officer said.
The observers will submit specific recommendations to the EC.
In 2021, the officer-in-charge of Regent Park police station was replaced just days before polling after a police observer reported unsatisfactory performance, an officer said.
In total, 84 IPS officers, selected from various states and union territories, will serve as police observers across Bengal during the Assembly
elections.