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EC Orders FIR Against 5 Bengal Officials for Electoral Roll Tampering

The Election Commission of India has directed the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer to ensure immediate registration of FIRs against five officials for grave lapses in electoral roll management. This action follows the earlier suspension of these officials in August for wrongful addition of names and sharing login credentials of the electoral database with unauthorized persons. The EC noted with concern that while the state government had suspended the officials, the directive to file FIRs had remained unimplemented for months. The Commission has warned that failure to comply will be treated with utmost seriousness and has demanded a prompt compliance report.

Key Points: EC Directs FIR Against WB Officials for Electoral Roll Lapses

  • FIR ordered against 5 officials
  • Electoral roll manipulation
  • Data security violations
  • Non-compliance with EC directives
2 min read

EC directs West Bengal CEO to register FIR against 5 erring officials

Election Commission orders West Bengal CEO to register FIRs against 5 officials for wrongful name additions and data security violations in voter rolls.

"Failure to ensure the registration of FIR shall be treated with utmost seriousness. - Election Commission of India"

New Delhi, January 3

The Election Commission of India has directed the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal to register an FIR against five officials for grave lapses and wrongful addition of names in the electoral roll.

The West Bengal CEO has been directed to instruct the concerned District Electoral Officer to ensure the immediate registration of FIRs against the officials.

It may be recalled that in August, the Election Commission directed the suspension of two ERO and two AERO for committing grave lapses and failing to perform their duties, violating the policy of data security while sharing their login credentials of the ER database with unauthorised persons.

South 24 Parganas ERO Debottam Dutta Choudhary, AERO Tathagat Mondal and his data entry operator Surojit Haldar were suspended. Purba Medinipur ERO Biplab Sarkar and EERO Sudipta Das were also suspended. EC has also directed to register an FIR against these officials.

ECI letter said that it is observed that while the state government has effected the suspension of the above officials on August 20, 2025, the direction regarding the FIR remains non-compliant till date.

ECI directed the CEO WB to instruct the concerned DEOs to ensure immediate registration of FIRs against the officials under Section 32 of the Representation of the People's Act 1950, along with relevant provisions of BNS 2023 and Information Technology Act 2000 as applicable.

EC warns that failure to ensure the registration of FIR shall be treated with utmost seriousness. It has also been asked to submit a compliance report at the earliest.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good! Strict action is needed. Sharing login credentials for the electoral database is a massive security breach. It's not just a lapse, it's a potential crime that can influence election outcomes. The EC is right to use the IT Act and BNS. Hope this sets an example. 👍
A
Aman W
While I support action against wrongdoing, I hope the process is fair and not politically motivated. West Bengal has a history of political tension around elections. The EC must ensure this is about procedure and security, not about targeting officials from a particular ruling party. A balanced view is important.
S
Sarah B
The fact that the state government suspended them in August but didn't file the FIR until the EC had to push for it in January speaks volumes. Why the delay? This kind of bureaucratic inertia undermines public trust. The EC's warning is justified.
K
Karthik V
This is a serious issue, bhai. Wrong names on the list means someone who shouldn't vote gets to, and maybe a real voter gets turned away. It messes with the whole system. The FIR should have been filed immediately. Hope the compliance report comes soon and action is taken. 🙏
N
Nikhil C
Respectfully, I think the EC is focusing on the right thing here. The integrity of the voter list is non-negotiable. But I also wonder - what about the "unauthorised persons" who received the credentials? Who are they and what action is being taken against them? That's equally important to investigate.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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