Kolkata, March 27 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Friday, directed the Chief Secretary of West Bengal, Dushyant Nariala, to immediately suspend Avijit Paul, Inspector-in-Charge of Basanti Police Station in South 24 Parganas district, in connection with the violence and clashes in the area, which erupted on March 26.

A police sub-inspector was also thrashed by a group of miscreants allegedly linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress.​

In a communique sent to the Chief Secretary by the ECI’s Under Secretary, Shakti Sharma, the Commission observed that the police failed to make adequate arrangements despite having prior information regarding the public programme of two political parties.​

The communique stated that although Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) had been available for the last few days, Paul did not requisition them for maintenance of law and order. ​

This, the Commission noted, reflected serious negligence and dereliction of duty on his part.​

The ECI directed that Paul be placed under suspension with immediate effect and departmental proceedings initiated against him. ​

He is being replaced by Inspector Prabir Ghosh of the Enforcement Branch of West Bengal Police. ​

The Chief Secretary was also instructed to implement the direction immediately and send a compliance report to the Commission by 9 p.m. on Friday.​

Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Information Technology cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, claimed that the violence and clashes at Basanti on Thursday were triggered by provocative statements made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at an election campaign rally earlier in the day.​

According to him, tension at Basanti began minutes after the Chief Minister, while addressing a rally at Pandaveswar in West Burdwan district, called upon her party workers to arm themselves “with whatever was at home” to crush the opposition. ​

He further accused the local police administration of acting as mute spectators while the rampage, allegedly by ruling party activists, was underway.​

–IANS

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