Militants may blow up strong room in Silchar: BJP

SILCHAR, May 2: Speculation and manipulation of EVMs as well as security arrangement of strong rooms at ISBT and ISTT, the BJP had virtually thrown a bombshell by alleging that militants had chalked up a blue-print to blow up the strongroom to ensure fresh polling in entire Silchar constituency.

Chief election agent of BJP candidate Kabindra Purkayastha, Anil Dey in a letter to the Election Commissioner, said they had some information from sources that militants might strike at the strong room. They might blow up ISBT and ISTT at Ramnagar where the EVMs have been kept or they might put the entire complex in fire to destroy the EVMs so that the Commission calls for a fresh round of election in this LS seat.

Returning Officer as well as Deputy Commissioner of Cachar Gautam Ganguly told The Sentinel that he had received a copy of the message but at same time he assured that security arrangement in the strongroom was full-proof and he had full confidence on the arrangement, being mentioned by central forces. Interestingly, the BJP in its message to the commissioner made it clear that they had no resentment at the security as arranged by the Returning Officer.
Meanwhile, a high level police officials today interrogated with Dey who reportedly admitted that the information had been supplied to him by Kanad Purkaysatha, son of BJP candidate Kabindra Purkayastha, sources said. Dey further admitted that he had no specific clue or information about the militant attacks and on the basis of Kanad’s speculation he had faxed the message to the Commission. State’s Minister Dinesh Prasad Goala had laughed at our apprehension expressed by Dey and maintained that the saffron party had started a campaign of gossiping prior to the counting to create a law and order situation.

On the other hand, a state level BJP leader expressed resentment over Dey’s over-activism saying that this would dampen the image of the party. It is to be noted that the BJP had asked the Returning Officer to strengthen security arrangement in the strongroom on April 10, following a news report in a Guwahati based vernacular daily that some goons led by district Congress general secretary Partha Ranjan Chakraborty tried to gatecrash the ISBT to enter in to the strongroom.

Not even a single FIR has been lodged against the accused. Anil Dey, too, in his letter to the commission admitted that the Returning Officer had made arrangements for sufficient security. But significantly Dey maintained that they had information from sources that militants had chalked up a blue-print of blowing up the strong-rooms. He had urged upon the Commission to look into the matter and to fake measures accordingly.

Meanwhile Ganguly said, election on April 16 was almost incident-free and till now the situation was completely under control. But some vested interest groups have been trying to dispute the normalcy by spreading baseless rumours. He however maintained that the entire police and administration has been working on the guidelines of the ECI. THE SENTINEL