Assam Government Conducts Inquiry In Nalbari District Over Strong Room Security Breach

The Assam government on Wednesday will conduct an inquiry related to security breach inside the strong room of Nalbari district during the poll day on May 7, according to an official communique.

Home and Political Department Principal Secretary B Kalyan Chakravarthy has been entrusted to carry out the probe related to the security breach on the polling day. Voting in Nalbari district, which is a part of Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency, took place in the third phase on May 7.

Asking the Nalbari District Commissioner Varnali Deka to be present, the Home & Political Department on Tuesday night said that the inquiry proceedings will start at 4 pm at the district headquarters on Wednesday. "I am directed to inform you that Shri B Kalyan Chakravarthy, Principal Secretary to the Govt of Assam, Home & Political Departments is going to visit Nalbari on 22.05.2024 to conduct an enquiry regarding the breach of security at Strong Room premises on 07/05/2024 at Nalbari Election District under Barpeta HPC," Home & Political Department Deputy Secretary said.

Along with Deka, the magistrate in charge of the strong room, security personnel in charge of the strong room and the representatives of political parties witnessing the security breach have also been asked to be present before Chakravarthy.

On May 14, Congress' Barpeta candidate Deep Bayan had complained to the Election Commission of India urging to probe an alleged security breach of the strong room following a police complaint lodged by Deka. Deka had on May 10 filed a police complaint that "one unknown person" inside the EVM receipt centre asked her to pay Rs 10 lakh to National Award winning filmmaker Luit Kumar Barman, who has been vocal on social media for the past few months over alleged irregularities committed by the DC.

She, in her complaint, claimed that the person, whom she believed to be a poll personnel, had left the premises before she could react. The receipt counter and strong room have been set up at Government Gurdon Higher Secondary School, and there is only one entry-exit gate of the compound housing both the facilities. Therefore, the receipt counter also enjoyed the heightened security arrangement meant for the strong room.

The police have not been able to identify and nab that person so far, while Barman after appearing at Nalbari Police Station had claimed that the DC made a "completely false and fabricated" case to take "revenge" on him. Referring to the incident and media reports, Bayan in his complaint to ECI said: "After publishing the same in various electronic and print media as well as in social media, the voters, political parties as well as the candidates strongly suspect that some malpractices, tempering of the EVM machines may have taken place."

He further said that nobody can enter the strong room campus other than contesting candidates and election agents without due authorisation, so the DC's complaint of an unknown person entering the premises to demand money was a serious security breach.