The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday rejected the police complaints filed against Gyanesh Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and) Manoj Agarwal, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), in connection with deaths of voters who had been summoned for hearing under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Terming the police complaints as an attempt to intimidate the election officials, the CEO, West Bengal, wrote on X: “It has come to the notice of this office from various press releases that two complaints have been filed with the police, against the Chief Election Commissioner of India and the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal.”
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The social media posts went on to state: “The allegations contained therein appear to be premeditated, unsubstantiated and a crude attempt to browbeat the officers tasked with discharging statutory duties in connection with SIR 2026. Such intimidatory tactics designed to threaten the election machinery into submission and derail the process are undoubtedly designed to fail.”
The post further emphasised that the issue would be pursued legally. The post said: “No stone will be left unturned to unearth the conspiracy behind these serial and fabricated complaints, rule of law and truth shall prevail. The election machinery in the state is committed to function with grit and rectitude solely and wholly in public interest.”
The ECI’s post on X comes as a reaction to the police complaints filed by the families of voters in Purulia and Howrah following the death of their elderly family members, who had received hearing notices under the SIR process. In Purulia, Kanai Majhi alleged that his 82-year-old father, Durjan Majhi, died by suicide hours before his hearing.
While in Howrah, Jamat Ali Sheikh’s son alleged mental duress caused by the hearing notice issued to his 64-year-old father, a valid voter, allegedly led to his death.
