EC puts TMC leader Anubrata Mondal under surveillance

A day after Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi warned that “urgent legal action” against him was under consideration, the Election Commission ordered controversial Trinamul Congress Birbhum president Anubrata Mondal to be put under constant surveillance. A strict vigil will be kept on his movements by Central forces under the supervision of a magistrate.

The EC sent the directive to state chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta to execute the order from Friday night itself. The election in Birbhum will be held on Sunday. The unprecedented EC decision followed a large number of complaints against the TMC strongman by Opposition parties as well as members of civil society when the full bench of the Election Commission led by Mr Zaidi visited Kolkata on Thursday.

Sources said that the chief electoral officer had been told to make arrangements to videograph with “date, timing and stamping” the movements and activities of Mr Mondal. “The team constituted for this purpose should be comprised of CPF personnel under a local magistrate,” the EC order stated.

The order of the EC will be effective from Friday night itself and will remain in effect till the election process continues in Bengal. Mr Mondal had been recently first showcaused and then censured by the EC for violation of model code of conduct.

To ensure free and fair polls, the Election Commission on Thursday removed SP Birbhum Mukesh Kumar and three OCs of Mayureshwar, Bolpur and Labhpur police stations for allegedly working at the behest of the ruling party. Sabyasachi Raman Mishra replaced Mr Kumar as district police chief. As per EC figures in seizure of arms, ammunitions and explosives, Birbhum tops the list of the seven districts that go to polls Sunday. “The number of troublemongers in Birbhum is 3,827,” a top EC official said.

As many as 3,806 bombs and 126 arms have been recovered, 9.5 kg explosives have been seized since the day elections were announced in the state. The district also leads in pending non-bailable arrest warrants,” a top EC official said.

Meanwhile, the EC has directed the state government to release two additional CEOs, Surendra Gupta and Dibyendu Sarkar, from government duties. Mr Gupta was employed with the panchayat department and Mr Gupta in WBIDC. “They should be only doing election duties,” a top EC official said.