New Delhi, 01 November (H.S.): The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed the immediate suspension of two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Mayank Goswami and Hemant Kumar Chaudhary, in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district over allegations of unauthorised alterations to voter records.

The Commission has also directed that Section 198 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with a public servant knowingly disobeying a legal direction with the intent to cause injury, be added to the existing First Information Report (FIR) against the two officers and computer operator Anil Kumar.

The Commission has asked the authorities to submit the charge sheets against the officers for scrutiny and made it clear that neither of them may be reinstated without its prior approval. It has also directed that the cases against the two officers and the computer operator be pursued rigorously before the competent court to ensure that the proceedings reach their logical conclusion.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh, the Commission directed the state authorities to ensure strict compliance with its instructions. It further sought a report from the District Election Officer (DEO), Pilibhit, on the scrutiny of electoral rolls in all four Assembly constituencies of the district. The report, accompanied by the CEO's specific comments, must be submitted to the Commission within one week.

The action follows an inquiry into alleged irregularities in voter records in the Pilibhit Assembly constituency. The Commission has also called for the cases against the officials to be pursued firmly before the concerned court.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar