CEO office turns a fortress after bulk Form 6 submission protest

Kolkata: The Bengal CEO office was placed under heavy security on Wednesday following a late-night meeting between CEO Manoj Agarwal and police commissioner Ajay Nand. This follows sporadic clashes between Trinamool and BJP supporters over allegations of "illegal" Form 6 applications being submitted to the CEO's office to delete voters.The commissioner issued a notification expanding prohibitory orders under Section 163 to cover the entire Strand Road, extending from the Koylaghat crossing to Kiran Shankar Roy Road. Previously, these restrictions were limited to the CEO's office perimeter.These measures were taken after the CEO's office posted a video clip of an incident on social media. "A councillor from Beleghata, along with some hooligans, gheraoed the CEO office and shouted slogans in the dead of night. Such anti-social activities will not be tolerated, and the law will take its own course. The EC will leave no stone unturned to ensure free and fair assembly elections," the CEO posted on its social media handle on Wednesday morning.DCP (Central) Shrikant Jagannathrao said: "Following Tuesday's incident, we have invoked Section 163 here. We have increased our deployment, including more CAPF personnel. We have made extensive preparations and have all the necessary resources in place to ensure that no untoward incident occurs. Whatever the situation may be, we are fully prepared to handle it."Despite the CEO's office being converted into a fortress, SUCI supporters and Trinamool-backed BLOs on Wednesday managed to slip through and hold separate agitations before being dispersed by the police.The unrest began in the afternoon when SUCI supporters staged a demonstration coinciding with CEO Agarwal's arrival. Simultaneously, Trinamool-backed BLOs gathered to chant slogans against the CEO, causing traffic to slow down on the crucial artery connecting Babughat to Howrah. Trinamool workers later launched an indefinite protest.The Hare Street Police Station filed a suo motu case against unidentified individuals. Investigators are currently reviewing CCTV footage to identify the participants and their roles in the confrontation. Speaking to reporters, Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien alleged that several residents of Bihar had been enrolled in Bengal despite reportedly having voted in the assembly polls in the neighbouring state last year. O'Brien, accompanied by senior Trinamool minister Bratya Basu, cited five specific cases of voters being simultaneously enrolled in different states.However, the BJP alleged otherwise. The Bengal BJP stated, "Trinamool is caught in its own web of lies again. Out of seven images: four are appeals to the ECI after the deletion of names and three are fresh applications. Among them is Sadhana Dey — a Bengali name. Another applicant... Banerjee (name unclear). So now, Bengali names are ‘outsiders'?"CEO Agarwal said: "Form 6 can be submitted throughout the year. However, only those Form 6 applications submitted at least 10 days before the last date of filing nominations will be considered." Regarding the Trinamool's allegations about voters being registered in more than one place, he said, "They should lodge a formal complaint with us."