Controversial TMC leader Anubrata Mandal under surveillance

Image
Press Trust of India Kolkata
Last Updated : Apr 15 2016 | 9:28 PM IST
The Election Commission today issued instructions to keep controversial Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mandal under 24x7 surveillance of the Central police force.
Officials said the Commission has directed West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta to keep movement and election related activities of Mandal under constant watch during the entire election period.
He shall invariably be videographed with date and time stamping, the instructions said.
The team constituted for this purpose should comprise of Central police force personnel under a local magistrate.
Mandal is the TMC Birbhum district president, which goes to polls in the second phase this Sunday.
Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi had yesterday said they were initiating urgent legal action against Mandal.
Mandal was censured by the EC on April 12 for making certain utterances against a woman BJP candidate and was asked to be careful in future. Even after that the Commission has been receiving regular complaints against him.
(REOPENS CAL 10)
Later on reacting to the EC decision, Anubrata Mandal said it would not have any impact in the election.
"Our campaigning ended at 6 PM today so it will not impact us at all," he told reporters when asked to comment on the EC's strictures.
He, however, said he had not received any letter in this regard from the Commission adding he was not aware of why he was kept under surveillance.
"Commission did what it felt was right," a visibly perplexed Mandal said.
To a question about complaints against him by opposition parties, he said "I don't care what the opposition leaders say.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 15 2016 | 9:28 PM IST

Next Story