SSP suspended for 'interfering' in Punjab by-poll process
Chandigarh, Nov 8
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday directed the suspension of Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravjot Kaur Grewal for allegedly interfering in the by-election process.
The action comes just ahead of the Tarn Taran assembly bypoll on November 11 after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal met the EC-appointed observer and submitted a written complaint of misuse of power by the SSP to help the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.
Amritsar Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar has been assigned the additional charge of Tarn Taran SSP, the Election Commission said.
An Akali Dal delegation also met the Chief Electoral Officer in Chandigarh and submitted the complaint.
The SAD alleged that the AAP government was using the state police to influence the by-election process.
In the memorandum, the SAD claimed that party workers and leaders from Tarn Taran had been "forcibly detained" by police officials ahead of the bypoll.
They alleged that the official machinery was being misused to target the candidate Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, her family members and SAD supporters.
The Chief Electoral Officer said there are a total of 192,838 voters in the constituency, which includes 100,933 men, 91,897 women and eight third-gender voters.
There are 1,357 service voters, 1,657 voters aged above 85 years, 306 NRI voters, and 1,488 voters with disabilities.
The number of young voters aged between 18 and 19 years stands at 3,333. He said there are 222 polling stations set up at 114 polling station locations, of which 60 are urban and 162 are rural.
The Tarn Taran bypoll on November 11 was necessitated by the death of AAP MLA Kashmir Singh Sohal, who had won the seat with 52,935 votes, defeating Shiromani Akali Dal's Harmeet Singh Sandhu.
Fifteen candidates are in the fray. They include Sukhwinder Kaur of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Harjit Singh Sandhu of the BJP, Harmeet Singh Sandhu of the Aam Aadmi Party and Karanbir Singh of the Congress.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Very concerning if police officials are being used for political purposes. Democracy depends on free and fair elections. Hope the EC takes more such strict actions across all states.
While I appreciate the EC's swift action, I'm concerned about the timing. Suspending an SSP just days before polling could create administrative chaos. There should be a better way to handle such situations without disrupting law and order.
Same old story in Punjab politics! Every party cries foul when they're not in power. Let's wait for the actual evidence before jumping to conclusions. 🤔
Good to see the Election Commission acting promptly. This is crucial for maintaining the integrity of our democratic process. Hope this sets a precedent for other states too! 🇮🇳
Interesting to see the detailed voter statistics. Over 190,000 voters in one constituency shows how vibrant Indian democracy is. Hope all these voters get to exercise their franchise without any intimidation.
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