Tamluk Police have arrested a BJP worker for allegedly submitting Form 7 seeking to remove the names of over three hundred living voters. Tensions between the BJP and Trinamool are at their peak across the state over the submission of Form 7. Amid this atmosphere, the incident of the BJP worker submitting Form 7 has surfaced.
The arrested person has been identified as Amit Mandal, a resident of Pitulsaha village in Tamluk’s Matangini block. When produced before the Tamluk court, he was remanded to police custody.
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Allegations and police action
Amit Mandal allegedly submitted Form 7 in the names of 343 people from booth number 242 in Tamluk’s Padumbasana. Among these forms were the names of multiple family members of the booth’s BLO, Asfaq Ali Beg. When Asfaq came to know about this, he approached the administration and filed an FIR. Amit was arrested only after the complaint was lodged.
According to Asfaq Ali Beg, he learned from special sources that Form 7 had been submitted in the names of his mother, brother, and sister, despite all of them being eligible voters. He said that after coming to know about this, he went to the police station and lodged an FIR, following which the police arrested the accused. He added that the administration should carry out a proper investigation and take strict action against those responsible.
However, local BJP leader Sukanta Chowdhury alleged that the arrest was politically motivated. He claimed that the police were acting deliberately and that the entire episode was driven by politics. Questioning the move, he pointed out that Form 7 had been issued by the Election Commission and was meant for lodging objections, adding that anyone could raise such objections. He said the police should explain the grounds for the arrest and added that the party’s lawyers were examining the matter.
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What is Form 7?
Form 7 is essentially an objection form used to remove names from the voter list. This form is mainly filled out for three reasons: if there is an objection to including a voter’s name, to remove one’s own name, or to apply for the removal of someone else’s name. However, in such cases, an application can be made only if the concerned person has permanently relocated or has died.
