The Election Commission of India (EC) is actively considering the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to provide dedicated security to its special roll observers in West Bengal. This move comes in direct response to a series of disruptions, gheraos (encirclements), and even a physical attack targeting these officials during the ongoing Summary Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Incidents Prompt Security Review
The situation escalated on Monday, December 31, 2025, when workers affiliated with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) reportedly disrupted hearings at three separate locations. The protests were against the EC's decision to not allow party-affiliated Booth Level Assistants (BLAs) to be present during these hearings.
This was not an isolated event. Recently, the convoy of a special roll observer, C. Murugan, was attacked in the Magrahat area of South 24 Parganas district. Earlier, the same official was gheraoed by voters in Falta, who were agitated over the deletion of names from the draft electoral roll.
Following these alarming incidents, both special roll observer Subrata Gupta and the state Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Agarwal, wrote formal letters to the Election Commission in Delhi. Their communication urgently sought adequate security arrangements for the special observers carrying out their duties across the state.
Deputy EC Flags Serious Discrepancies
Amid the security concerns, Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti arrived in Kolkata on Tuesday for a two-day visit to oversee the SIR process. During a meeting with all District Election Officers (DEOs), Bharti highlighted significant irregularities that have emerged.
He pointed out that numerous discrepancies have been found both in the upload of enumeration forms and during the hearings themselves. In a startling revelation, Bharti cited cases where more than a hundred individuals were incorrectly mapped to the same father or mother in the records. He directed all DEOs to take immediate corrective action in such instances.
Bharti issued a strict warning regarding the hearing process. He alerted DEOs that no documents other than those explicitly mentioned in the EC's official order should be accepted during hearings. An EC official clarified the consequence, stating, "If those documents are taken, those cases will be canceled during verification."
Furthermore, the Deputy Election Commissioner centralized the verification authority. He stated that only the DEOs themselves would be authorized to verify documents submitted during hearings, and they cannot delegate this critical responsibility to other officials or Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).
Central Forces Already Deployed, Scope May Expand
The Election Commission has already stationed Central forces outside the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer's office in Kolkata as a precautionary measure. The current consideration is to extend their deployment to provide personal security to the special observers on the ground, ensuring they can perform their constitutional duties without fear or obstruction.
This potential step underscores the tense environment surrounding the electoral roll revision process in the state. The EC's actions signal a firm intent to uphold the integrity of the process and protect its officials from intimidation, setting the stage for a closely monitored pre-election period in West Bengal.
