Significantly, while the EC has begun investigating the credentials of the officers concerned, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Debashis Sen refused to comment on the issue. The accused officers are set to join the election duty. 

The list included several senior IPS officers and at least three superintendents of police, an IG, a DIG, a special superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Department and two additional SPs. 

The officers include Arun Gupta, who was the IG (western range) during the Nandigram police firing, SP North 24 Paraganas Supratim Sarkar, who was at the helm in Hooghly during the Singur agitation, SP Malda Satyajit Bandopadhyay, who ordered police firing in Tekhali near Nandigram, and SP Burdwan R Rajshekharan. 

“We have heard about it but have not received any official communication. The EC did not ask the state to take action against them or to restrict them from election duty in any official letter,” said Home Secretary Ardhendhu Sen.

A few district magistrates ( returning officers), who were present in the meeting with Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami on March 19, also said they had not received any official instruction over the issue either from the state government or the EC. 

“Why this issue is being raised again? The CEC might not have been serious about it. Supratim Sarkar is the SP and he is likely to continue during the polls,” said Binod Gupta, the District Magistrate of North 24 Parganas. 

DM Burdwan Manish Jain said he will act according to the instructions of higher authorities. “We have not yet received any instruction. So there is no question of R Rajashekharan being removed,” he added.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties are repeatedly filing complaints with the EC against these officers.