EC bars civic, green & student police from election duty

Kolkata: The Election Commission has directed that civic police, green police or student police personnel will not be deployed for any election-related duties during the West Bengal Assembly poll. In a letter to the Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Agarwal, the apex poll body has reiterated that they shall not be allowed to perform any duty in uniform from three days ahead of the scheduled poll day right up to the day after the polls are conducted.

Similar instructions were given during previous elections, including the 2021 Assembly polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Commission has asked the state’s poll machinery to inform all stakeholders, including candidates and political parties, of “compliance and information”. A senior official at the poll body said that the move is aimed at ensuring neutrality and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.

“The civic police or the green police have been created by executive action and not by legislative backing. We believe that their presence anywhere in the poll scene could be detrimental to the conduct of free and fair polls,” an

EC official said. The elections to the 294-member Assembly will be held in two phases – on April 23 and 29. The counting of votes will be held on May 4.