New Delhi, 09 April (H.S.):

A petition has reached the Supreme Court demanding robust security for judicial officers and election duty staff amid concerns over the West Bengal assembly elections. Filed by Satish Kumar Agarwal, former vice-president of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, it urges directives for deploying central forces to ensure impartial, fearless, and secure polling.

The plea cites the 2013 panchayat elections, where 39 deaths occurred due to poll-related and post-poll violence under Trinamool Congress rule, with 34% seats won unopposed due to intimidation that deterred voters from polling stations. It highlights a pattern of political violence in the state, where judicial, administrative, and public officials assigned to election duties faced public threats, rendering politically motivated interference unacceptable in democracy.

Recent incidents, including judicial officers taken hostage in Malda district, underscore the risks, making fair elections impossible without central forces deployment. The petition argues that such measures are essential to safeguard personnel and uphold electoral integrity.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar