Civil societies call off protest before CEO's office, wait for EC team's visit in Mizoram

Aizawl: An umbrella organisation of civil societies and student bodies in Mizoram called off their protest before the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Tuesday, soon after the Election Commission announced that it would send a three-member team to assess the situation in the poll-bound state.

NGO Coordination Committee chairman Vanlalruata said that the demonstration in front of CEO S B Shashank's office was called off at 12.30 pm in view of the visit of the three-member Election Commission team to Aizawl.

Vanlalruata expressed

hope that the EC delegation would understand the ground situation and remove Shashank from the CEO's post to

ensure free, fair and peaceful election to the 40-member Mizoram assembly on November 28.

People congregated in large numbers in front of the CEO's office since 8 am on Tuesday following a call by the NGO Coordination Committee to picket his office, demanding his removal.

The police said the CEO was at home and did not come to his office on Tuesday.

"As people have lost faith in him, the only solution for smooth conduct of the Assembly election 2018 now would be removal of CEO S B Shashank from office forthwith," Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

The NGO Coordination Committee had also appealed to the Federation of Mizoram Government Employees and Workers (FMGEW) to support the agitation and cease work from Tuesday.

Most of the shops in Aizawl city were closed Tuesday in response to a call made by the Mizoram Merchants' Association (MiMA). Very few vehicles were on the roads in the state capital and attendance in government offices was thin.

The conglomerate, which had Friday demanded that Shashank leave Mizoram by Monday evening, had decided to picket before the CEO's office, which is located at Treasury Square, from Tuesday and not allow him to attend office.