NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has directed that persons from the civic police or green police or student police in West Bengal, besides not being engaged in any election-related duty, shall also not be allowed to perform any duty in uniform for 72 hours prior to polling as well as on polling day and the day after.
In a letter written to the chief electoral officer (CEO) of West Bengal on March 1, the EC stated, “No person from the civic police or green police or student police shall be engaged in any election-related duty. Further they shall not be allowed to perform any duty in uniform P-3 days till P+1 day”. ‘P’ here stands for polling day. This effectively means that the curbs will be in place for 5 consecutive days.
The letter asked the CEO to inform all the concerned stakeholders including candidates, political parties for compliance and information.
EC sources said barring the civic police or green police or student police from any duty in uniform just prior to polling, on polling day and the day after was meant to ensure that any unnecessary confusion or fear in the mind of voters was not created.
Civic police or green police or student police are made up of civic volunteers who are deployed in aid to the state police. Members of the civic police do not have any legal police powers like arrest and search and merely aid the state police in maintenance of order and traffic control.
Some opposition parties in West Bengal had approached the EC seeking restraint on the involvement of civic/green/student police in election-related duties as they were seen as identified with the ruling party. EC had accepted this suggestion.
Now, going a step further, EC has also asked them to not perform any duty in uniform for a period of five days starting from 72 hours before polling day and ending 24 hours after polling day.