The offices of the Chief Electoral Officer in Kolkata are hardly the locations of disturbance. But Monday happened to be an exception. With mounting work pressure, parts of the building were soon overrun overnight by Booth-level officers (BLOs), and the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a letter of reprimand to the Kolkata Police Commissioner, Manoj Kumar Verma.
Dated Wednesday, the letter conveyed, “I am directed to state that it has come to the notice of the Election Commission of India that on 24.11.2025, a serious security breach has occurred at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, which has also been widely reported in Media.”
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ECI directs police to fortify Bengal CEO's office ahead of elections
The Commission noted that the security arrangement at the CEO’s office was not robust enough to control the situation or ensure safety.
“The existing security in the office of the CEO appeared to be inadequate to handle the situation, which could lead to threat to the safety and security of the Chief Electoral Officer, Additional Chief Electoral Officers, Joint Chief Electoral Officers, Deputy Chief Electoral Officers and other officers and staff working in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.”
The ECI directed the police to strengthen protection for CEO Manoj Agarwal and all officers.
“The Commission further directs that adequate security classification shall be done on account of the sensitivity involved due to SIR activities and forthcoming elections in the State and ensure that no untoward incident occurs again,” the letter added.
BLO rights committee demands relief from ‘excessive workload’
Notably, the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee has been vocal about excessive workload during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. They conducted a rally outside the CEO’s office with seven members, including convenor Moidul Islam refusing to leave. Wrapped in shawls, they sat on the third floor, determined to meet CEO Agarwal.
Islam, notably, is a school teacher and not even a BLO, but joined the agitation with others, including Amit Mondal, Sonali Chakraborty, Tanushree Bhattacharya, and Soifullah Haldar.
Earlier in the day, a 13-member delegation had been allowed inside to submit a deputation.
