Kolkata, Jan 14: Demonstrating his adherence to rules, a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal on Wednesday said that he has issued a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing notice to himself and his wife due to “logical discrepancies” in their voter registration information.
Devshankar Chatterjee, the BLO (Booth Level Officer) of booth number 165 in Katwa of East Burdwan district, showed no laxity whatsoever in upholding the rules of the Election Commission. His wife, Anindita Chatterjee, has accepted her husband’s strict adherence to rules. The incident was reported in Katwa town.
Chatterjee, a teacher by profession, works at Bhomorkol Primary School in Ketugram but currently resides with his family in the Chowrangi area of Ward No. 10 in Katwa. Recently, during the voter information verification process, logical discrepancies were found in the documents of both him and his wife.
The Election Commission noticed a spelling mistake in the surname of Chatterjee’s father and an age discrepancy between his wife and her father. Chatterjee’s father is named Pulakendra Chatterjee, but the surname had a spelling error, which is why the poll panel sent him a hearing notice.
His wife’s family is from Nakashipara in Nadia district, and her father’s name is Anil Chatterjee. However, the age difference between her and her father is shown as 50 years, which also resulted in a notice being issued. Upon receiving the notice through the EC’s app, Devshankar fulfilled his duty as a BLO.
“Even though I am a BLO, I am obligated to follow the rules of the Election Commission. My own family does not receive any special treatment. Everyone is equal in the eyes of the law,” he told reporters.
Consequently, like any other citizen, the couple will now have to stand in line and participate in the hearing. As he is the BLO, he served the hearing notice to himself and then to his wife.
“This is his official duty. Whatever he has done in the course of performing his duties, he has done according to the rules,” Anindita said. Katwa Sub-Divisional Officer Anirban Bose said: “Even though he is a BLO (Booth Level Officer), he has to work according to the Election Commission’s rules. The same rules apply to his own family as well.”
IANS
