ECI cites ‘law and order’, urges government to deploy central forces at Bengal office

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday (December 18, 2025) wrote to the Union Home Ministry seeking immediate deployment of central forces on the premises of the central Kolkata office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, citing a “law and order” situation following protests by booth-level officers during the Special Intensive Revision. 

The poll body said personnel be “immediately deployed to ensure round-the-clock safety and security of the officers and staff of CEO office”.

“…in the midst of SIR exercise in West Bengal, there was law and order situation in front of the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, which was gheraoed by a crowd of booth-level officers and workers from certain political party(ies) on 24th and 25th November,” the letter said, adding that a “serious security risk” is being posed to officers and staff of the CEO’s office.

“Considering the sensitivity involved during SIR exercise and forthcoming general election to the legislative Assembly, occurrence of such incidents in future may not be ruled out,” the letter read.

The letter refers to the agitations in which hundreds of BLOs had gathered to protest against the workload of the SIR. Some of the protesters broke through barricades and entered the CEO’s office. Days after the incident, the poll body asked Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma to provide adequate security to the officials and staff in the office of the West Bengal CEO.