Kolkata, March 9 (IANS) Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday cautioned district magistrates, superintendents of police and commissioners of different police commissionerates in West Bengal that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has the authority to initiate departmental proceedings against officers found guilty of dereliction of duty even after the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state are over.

The CEC issued the warning during a separate meeting between the full bench of the ECI and the district magistrates, superintendents of police and heads of various police commissionerates on Monday afternoon, the first day of the Commission’s two-day visit to West Bengal.

“During the meeting, the CEC issued a strong warning that he would not tolerate any reports of violence or the use of firearms or crude bombs during the elections this year. He also instructed the police to confiscate all illegal firearms and crude bombs as far as possible before the elections,” said an insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, aware of the proceedings of the meeting.

He also directed the police to deal strictly with instances of violence not just before or during the polls but also after the polls are over and the results are declared.

“The CEC also reminded officials of several instances of post-poll violence in West Bengal after the 2021 Assembly elections,” the CEO’s office insider said.

The CEC also cautioned the police and directed them to refrain from acting on behalf of any political party.

“He also directed the police to immediately register FIRs in instances of the spread of fake news or misinformation on social media,” the CEO’s office insider said.

On March 10, the Commission’s full bench will hold meetings with top bureaucrats and senior police officers of the state government, including Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and the state’s acting Director General of Police Peeyush Pandey.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and will be followed by a press conference to be addressed by the CEC.

The Commission’s full bench will return to Delhi later on March 10.

–IANS

src/pgh