The Election Commission of India has issued a notice to former Kolkata Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee and his son Ranajit Mukherjee over alleged discrepancies in the voters' list. This action places the high-profile former police chief among other notable individuals, including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who have received similar scrutiny from the poll body ahead of crucial elections.
Former Top Cop Questions Missing Name
Expressing his frustration, Prasun Mukherjee described the situation as "bad" and raised pointed questions about the administrative lapse. He revealed a startling detail: despite being a senior police officer in charge of the region, his name was absent from the electoral rolls in 2002.
"I was the Inspector General of south Bengal in 2002, holding charge of this very district and the surrounding districts, including South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Murshidabad and Nadia. This was my zone. I lived in my own zone and yet my name is missing," Mukherjee stated. He added with irony, "Now, I have to produce documents to prove I am not a Bangladeshi?"
A Family's Voter List Ordeal
The issue came to light when Mukherjee reviewed his family's voter details. He explained that there were initially four voters in his household, including his wife and two sons. Following the death of his wife and his elder son's move to Vancouver, Canada, he requested the removal of their names from the list. However, he then discovered that his own name and that of his younger son, Ranajit, were also missing from the 2002 list, a fact he finds inexplicable.
Mukherjee, who now resides in Salt Lake, Kolkata, traced the problem back to his relocation from government quarters. "I left my govt quarters and moved to Salt Lake in 2001. I found that the names of those living in the houses next to mine in Salt Lake were on the 2002 voters' list, but my name was missing," he said. A check of the old address at Bodyguard Lines also showed his name was absent there in 2002, indicating it was missing from all lists that year.
Hearings Scheduled and Lingering Questions
The former police commissioner highlighted the paradox in his case. "Many elections have taken place since 2002 and I have always voted. If my name wasn't there in 2002, how did it appear on the voters' list after that? Everything seems odd," he remarked. He further pointed out that his son Ranajit had contested the last Parliamentary elections from the Burdwan constituency, during which all his documents were thoroughly scrutinized without any issue being raised.
The Election Commission has scheduled separate hearings for the father and son. Ranajit Mukherjee has been called for a hearing on January 14, while Prasun Mukherjee is required to appear on January 15 to present his case and documents before the officials.
This incident underscores ongoing concerns about the accuracy of electoral rolls in West Bengal and has brought the issue of voter list integrity back into sharp focus, especially concerning prominent citizens. The EC's notice signals a strict approach to cleaning up the rolls ahead of future polls.
