The West Bengal government has suspended four officials implicated in alleged irregularities during the revision of electoral rolls, stirring controversy in the state’s political landscape. The suspensions, announced on Friday, August 22, 2025, come in partial compliance with the Election Commission’s (EC) directives, though the state has stopped short of filing FIRs against the accused, raising eyebrows in Kolkata’s administrative circles.

The action follows a high-stakes meeting last week, where Chief Secretary Manoj Pant faced the EC in New Delhi. The commission had reportedly set a deadline of August 21 for suspending the officials and initiating criminal proceedings through FIRs. However, a state secretariat official revealed that while departmental proceedings have begun, no FIRs have been lodged, leaving the EC’s directive only partially fulfilled.

The suspended officials include two electoral registration officers (EROs), Debottam Dutta Chowdhury and Biplab Sarkar, and two assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs), Tathagata Mandal and Sudipta Das, from South 24 Parganas and Purba Midnapore districts. They are accused of serious procedural lapses in the voter rolls of Baruipur East and Moyna assembly constituencies, including sharing login credentials and compromising data security protocols.

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The EC has flagged these violations as a significant threat to the integrity of the electoral process. With the state government’s response under scrutiny, the absence of FIRs has sparked debates about accountability and transparency in West Bengal’s electoral system. The EC continues to monitor the situation closely, as pressure mounts for stricter action.

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