The Election Commission (EC) has suspended Sandeep Sarkar, the officer in-charge of Hingalganj police station, over allegations of partisanship and failure to ensure a level playing field during the assembly elections in West Bengal. The EC also directed that disciplinary action be initiated against him, as reported by Sanjib Chakraborty.
Political Tension in North 24 Parganas
The decision comes amid heightened political tension in North 24 Parganas district, particularly following allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) distributed cash to voters ahead of polling. Police detained two BJP leaders — Tarun Mondal and former Assam MLA Kishore Nath — who were allegedly caught distributing money among residents. The BJP, however, dismissed the charges as baseless, claiming that the police acted under the influence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) members.
EC Official Threatened
In a separate incident, the police have initiated a probe into a complaint alleging that a group of party workers threatened EC officials and snatched poll documents while they were conducting home-based voting for an elderly citizen in Kalighat, near the Chief Minister's residence. The EC has taken a serious view of the incident and is monitoring the situation closely.
