Controversy erupts in Bengal as BJP accuses senior cops of changing EVMs

Kolkata, May 27 (IANS) A controversy erupted in West Bengal on Monday afternoon, after two BJP leaders accused senior police officers of changing EVMs.

Saumitra Khan, the BJP’s sitting MP and the party candidate from Bishnupur (SC) Lok Sabha constituency in Bankura District, showed two videos on Facebook live on Monday afternoon.

The first video purportedly showed an Additional Superintendent of Police, assisted by the Inspector-in-Charge of a local police station allegedly making attempts to remove CCTV cameras at a room appearing like an election booth and changing EVMs.

In the second video, a couple of persons were spotted within a police station carrying wires and cables.

However, IANS was not in a position to check the authenticity of the videos that Khan shared on social media.

In the Facebook live session Khan accused the cops of making attempts to remove CCTV cameras at a polling booth and also change EVMs.

Soon after Khan’s session the BJP’s IT cell chief and the party’s Central Observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya put up a post on his official X handle, making the same allegation and posting the same two videos.

“In a shocking development, the Additional SP (name has been sent in the formal complaint) of Bishnupur (37 PC), along with the IC, were found trying to remove CCTV cameras and change EVMs, when our candidate Shri Soumitra Khan arrived and caught them red handed. Mamata Banerjee is losing the election and hence resorting to unethical means,” Malviya’s post read.

In the post, he has also requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to look into the matter and take appropriate steps.

Till the time of the filing of this report there was neither any reaction from the Trinamool Congress nor from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, in the matter.

–IANS

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