THE Election Commission of India has appointed K K Sharma, former director general of BSF as the overall special police observer for the elections to the parliament for the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand. The ECI must be aware of the fact that the aforesaid officer happens to be one amongst the most tainted ones during is term in office. 

It has been widely reported in the media that the DG, who has now retired, participated in a two-day event in Kolkata which was organized by Seemanta Chetna Manch, part of RSS-backed Seema Jagran Manch, a pan India body which aims to instill `patriotism’ in the border areas across the country. In guise of patriotism this organisation spreads communal venom. The appointment of K K Sharma is patently questionable owing to his partisan outlook and positioning. The ECI should immediately rescind this appointment. Nilotpal Basu, Polit Bureau Member of the CPI(M) has written a letter to the ECI on March 27,  asking for immediate reconsideration of its decision to appoint KK Sharma as special police observer in two states.

Nilotpal Basu has also mentioned in the same letter about the intimidatory speech of the Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb delivered during the election campaign in Tripura. Biplab Deb has stated that the present i.e., the ongoing election for the 17th Lok Sabha will be different from the past, implying threat to the opposition. To add emphasis, he underlined that he was not just speaking in his enthusiasm, but in complete senses. In the letter Nilotpal has termed it as “a clear violation of misusing his office to threaten free, fair and peaceful polls and would warrant urgent remedial measures from the Election Commission.”