The seven assistant electoral registration officers suspended by the Election Commission on Sunday night attended their offices on Monday, with some continuing to work as AERO.
The poll panel had directly suspended these seven AEROs, from six Assembly segments, alleging they had approved the inclusion of ineligible voters in the final post-SIR rolls following hearings.
The officers said they had heard about their suspensions but did not receive any clear instruction from their higher authorities (in the state administration). So, they reported at their offices on Monday.
A senior poll panel official said that suspension letters had been sent to these officers, with copies forwarded to the Bengal chief secretary and the district magistrates
concerned.
“The chief secretary and the DMs know what should be done with the suspended officers. If they are still attending office, the higher authorities would face the consequences,” the commission official said.
“Besides, the chief secretary will have to submit a report informing the EC that departmental proceedings have been initiated against the suspended officers.”
Sefaur Rahaman, assistant director of agriculture in Suti block, Murshidabad, went to the BDO’s office on Monday and carried on with his duties as an AERO for the Suti Assembly constituency. He helped the booth-level officers (BLOs) upload voters’ documents through the day.
Contacted, Rahaman said he had begun working as an AERO from January 27 and did not know why he had been suspended. “I continued working as nobody has asked me to stop,” he said.
Murshid Alam, another assistant director of agriculture in Suti block, too was at his office on Monday but did not work as an AERO.
“I was not informed by my superiors about what I should do. This is the reason I attended office,” he said.
Dalia Roy Choudhury, women development officer at Moynaguri block, Jalpaiguri, and an AERO for the Moynaguri Assembly constituency, too attended her office.
The BDO took her to the district magistrate to seek a clarification on what she should do, but she said she did not receive a clear instruction.
“I attended office as I didn’t know what to do.… I had followed every directive from the Election Commission. I don’t know why I was suspended,” she said.
She did not work as AERO on Monday.
Sources in the poll panel said the district magistrates -- who are functioning as the district election officers (DEOs) --- were perhaps waiting for instructions from Nabanna before taking a call on the suspension letters forwarded to them by the commission.
“The DEOs should remember that once the EC has issued a suspension letter, no matching order from Nabanna is necessary,” an official said.
“It would be good for them to comply with the order and instruct the suspended officers not to attend office or continue working as AEROs. If it comes to the poll panel’s notice that the officers worked as usual, the DEOs could face stringent action.”
Poll panel sources said the commission had had to take such a stern measure because the state government was not cooperating with it in preparing error-free rolls.
“Since the state government did not adhere to the EC’s earlier directive on four (other) officers, the poll panel had to suspend these officers directly,” a source said.