Misbehaviour with BLOs won't be tolerated; two FIRs filed: Punjab CEO

Chandigarh, Jul 7 (PTI) Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra on Tuesday said any misbehaviour or harassment of BLOs engaged in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls would not be tolerated. Mitra said incidents of assault on booth level officers (BLOs) had been reported from Patiala and Barnala districts, adding that the matter had been taken seriously, and FIRs had been registered against the accused. According to the chief electoral officer (CEO), a BLO assigned to booth no. 113 in Patiala was allegedly assaulted by a resident of Anand Nagar while collecting voter-related details as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Following the incident, Tripuri police station registered an FIR under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. In another incident, a BLO attached to booth no. 103 at Akalgarh Kothe in Dhanaula area of Barnala district was allegedly abused and assaulted by a local resident during the revision exercise. A case was registered at the Dhanaula police station. Mitra directed all district election officers in Punjab to ensure adequate safety and security arrangements for BLOs while they carry out the SIR exercise. She also appealed to voters across the state to cooperate with BLOs and help ensure that such incidents do not recur. PTI VSD PRK