EC holds video meet, urges Chief Secretaries of bordering states to intensify naka checking

Kolkata: The Election Commission (EC) has emphasized upon intensifying naka checking in the bordering areas of poll-bound Bengal.

The Commission on Friday held a video conference with the Chief Secretaries of all bordering states that includes Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Assam and Sikkim in presence of Bengal Chief Secretary and issued directions for making arrangements so that the 50 naka check posts situated in the borders can be brought under electronic surveillance. State Chief Electoral Officer Ariz Aftab was present during the video conference.

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had earlier raised the issue and demanded that naka checking should be intensified. Some of the 30 Assembly constituencies belonging to parts of three districts Bankura, East Midnapore and West Midnapore and the whole of Purulia and Jhargram that goes for polls in the first phase on March 27 shares its borders with Jharkhand and Odisha. The Commission has issued necessary directions to seal these borders.

Special Police Observer Vivek Dubey will visit Dinhata in Cooch Behar district on Friday to review the case of the BJP Mondal president Amit Sarkar being allegedly killed in political violence on

Wednesday.

The EC had already transferred SP Cooch Behar on

Thursday.

The EC has also denied permission for an open air concert of Rupam Islam and his Fossils team on Friday. Islam posted the matter of denial in his Facebook page. He said that arrangements were made to maintain all Covid

protocols

"I would request the Commission to urge the representatives of the political parties doing election campaign to abide by COVID norms and restrict those people who are not wearing masks. It is the duty of the Commission whether physical distancing is followed during such campaign trails also," Islam wrote in his Facebook page.