New Delhi/Lucknow: Five police personnel were suspended and many others removed from poll duty in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday for flouting Election Commission guidelines and stopping electors from casting votes in the ongoing assembly bypolls, officials said.
The action by the poll authority came amid complaints by opposition parties, mainly the Samajwadi Party, that people from a particular community were being prevented from casting their vote.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav urged the EC to suspend all police officers who were checking voter cards and Aadhaar IDs, based on video evidence.
Acting on the commission’s directions, district election officers and superintendents of police, after verifying the complaints, suspended the police personnel for their conduct.
EC officials said that in Muzaffarnagar, two sub-inspectors were suspended for “non-compliance” with EC guidelines for voter checking.
In view of complaints received regarding the checking of identity cards of voters by police personnel in Moradabad, a thorough investigation was conducted, the officials said. The cases pertained to Bhikanpur Kulwara and Milak Siri villages.
In this regard, one sub-inspector, two head constables, and two women constables have been removed from poll duty and sent to the police lines.
In another complaint regarding police personnel entering a polling booth, the investigation found that he had entered the booth to inquire about the smooth conduct of the polling process.
However, as this is against EC guidelines, the erring police official has been suspended and department proceedings will be initiated, the poll panel said.
Similar suspensions were ordered in the Sisamau assembly constituency of Kanpur district.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Election Officer Navdeep Rinwa said five police personnel on poll duty have been suspended taking note of complaints.
“This includes two each in Kanpur and Muzaffarnagar and one in Moradabad. We take note of all complaints and get them verified immediately after which action is taken,” he added.
He further said it has also been made clear that only poll officials will check the identity cards of voters and not the police personnel on duty outside the polling station.
Kanpur Police Commissioner Akhil Kumar told reporters that after receiving information of a large number of people gathering in pockets of the Sisamau assembly constituency to disrupt the poll process elaborate security arrangements were made and extra barricades were put up.
“Two sub-inspectors were suspended for not complying with the election norms and conduct,” he said.
In Muzaffarnagar, two sub-inspectors — Niraj Kumar of Shahpur police station and Ompal Singh of Bhopa police station — were suspended for not following EC guidelines while on election duty in Meerapur constituency, SSP Abhishek Singh said.
“The step has been taken over complaints received and a departmental inquiry has been started against these police officials,” he added.
In Moradabad district, a few police personnel were shunted out for not complying with the Election Commission’s guidelines while on poll duty in the Kundarki constituency.
Police there, however, denied suspension of any personnel.
Circle Officer Bilari Rajesh Kumar Tiwari said, “We don’t have any information about the suspension of any police personnel or action taken by the commission.”
“Only those police personnel who were unnecessarily creating hurdles in allowing heavy vehicles or voters’ vehicles from passing have been removed from the spots,” he said.
Taking cognisance of the complaints on social media by the Samajwadi Party that some communities were prevented from voting during the bypolls, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar gave strict instructions to chief electoral officer of Uttar Pradesh and all district election officers and returning officers to ensure fair and smooth voting process.
They were told to take immediate cognisance of all complaints, take prompt action and inform the complainant through social media also by tagging them.
No eligible voter should be prevented from voting and any kind of biased attitude will not be tolerated, they were warned.
If anyone is found guilty after receiving a complaint, strict action should be taken, the poll machinery was told, the officials said.
Voting is underway in nine assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh.
