The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered the Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta to arrest all the accused persons involved in the post poll violence in Andhra Pradesh and put them behind bars without any delay.
The violence happened in the State during and after the polling and has continued on the third day on May 15.
The ECI has ordered the DGP to place all the concerned political leaders and contesting candidates under house arrest and then lodge FIRs. More particularly, the ECI is serious about the incidents that happened at Tadipatri, Macherla, Chilakaluripet and Chandragiri Assembly Constituencies, after the elections were completed, informed Mukesh Kumar Meena, Chief Electoral Officer.
Book cases against those who damaged the EVMs: ECI
The ECI has given clear instructions to book cases against all people who damaged the EVM machines during the polling, Mr. Meena said.
He added that the police are not allowed to file FIRs mentioning that ‘unknown people’ resorted to the violence at the Polling Stations , since each polling stations have video footage and the perpetrators could be traced. Hence, the police are directed to immediately arrest all these accused people and put them behind bars.
Further, Mr. Meena said that the ECI has also ordered to take stringent punishment action on the police officials and other election staff who deliberately indulged in dereliction of the election duties.
The CEO said that the severe action is being initiated not just against the perpetrators who directly indulged in the violence, but also the people behind them and provoked them also would be booked.
He added that the police already started arresting the accused persons in the State from Tuesday night onwards and it would be completed by next couple of days.
He said perpetrators would be sent to jail and the police are working on it. For instance, about 30 people were arrested at Chandragiri violence.
Apart from that, the police have placed pickets at 715 places to check the movement of the trouble mongers and the concerned district collectors have promulgated Section 144 under CrPC, wherever necessitated, he added.
Published - May 15, 2024 05:48 pm IST
