EC Flags Security Breach at Bengal CEO Office
Indian Bureaucracy News Network, New Delhi, November 26, 2025 | The Election Commission of India (ECI) has expressed strong concern over what it described as a “serious security breach” at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal on November 24, prompting calls for immediate reinforcement of police protection across key election establishments and for officers involved in the electoral roll Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
According to an official memorandum issued to the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, the Election Commission stated that the existing security arrangements at the CEO’s office were “inadequate to handle the situation,” potentially putting senior officials—including the Chief Electoral Officer, Additional and Joint Chief Electoral Officers, Deputy Chief Electoral Officers, and other staff—at risk. While the letter did not specify the exact nature of the breach, it stressed the seriousness of the incident and warned that the situation could escalate if immediate corrective measures were not implemented.
The CEO of the West Bengal office, Shri Manoj Kumar Agarwal, is an IAS officer of the 1990 batch from the West Bengal cadre. He heads the team alongside three Additional Chief Electoral Officers and three Joint Chief Electoral Officers. Of these seven top positions, four are held by IAS officers, all belonging to the West Bengal cadre.
The incident unfolded against the backdrop of rising strain among Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who play a frontline role in the SIR process. On Monday, a group of BLOs staged a protest outside the CEO office in Kolkata, demanding relief from mounting work pressure. When their request to meet the CEO and submit a deputation was not granted, they surrounded the office, refusing to disperse. The stand-off continued overnight, creating a situation that senior poll panel officials later described as unprecedented in recent years.
The ECI, taking a strict view of the episode, directed Kolkata Police to ensure robust security not only at the workplace but also at the residences of all involved officers and during their commute. The memorandum further called for a reassessment of security classifications “on account of the sensitivity involved due to the SIR activities and forthcoming elections in the state.” Police authorities have been asked to submit an action-taken report within 48 hours.
The tension in West Bengal comes at a time when concerns over SIR-related workload are surfacing in other parts of the country as well. In Noida, a resignation letter by a schoolteacher appointed as a BLO has gone viral, amplifying the national spotlight on the intense pressures faced by these grassroots election workers.
Pinky Singh, an assistant teacher at Geja Higher Primary School in Noida’s Sector 94, resigned on November 24, stating that she could “no longer manage” both her teaching duties and the extensive demands of the SIR exercise. Tasked with overseeing 1,179 voters at Sector 33 Rockwood School, Singh had already completed 215 digital entries but said the dual responsibilities had become “impossible to handle.” Her resignation followed FIRs filed against 60 BLOs and seven supervisors in Dadri for alleged negligence and non-compliance during the SIR, with officials citing failure to follow instructions as the primary reason for the legal action.
The fallout has added urgency to debates around the sustainability of the SIR workload. The Special Intensive Revision, which runs in Noida until December 4 and is underway in multiple states, is designed to strengthen the accuracy of electoral rolls. However, because BLO duties are additional responsibilities assigned to existing government employees—not standalone posts—the pressure of field verification, documentation, and data entry has triggered mounting distress among officers juggling multiple roles.
In West Bengal, dissatisfaction has escalated over the past month. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee recently wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar urging a halt to the SIR, calling the process “unplanned and coercive.” In her letter, she warned that continuation of the exercise under current conditions “will not only endanger more lives but will also jeopardise the legitimacy of the electoral revision.” Her concerns follow reports of at least three BLO suicides in the state, with families attributing the deaths to excessive workload.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the SIR is essential to ensuring a clean and credible electoral roll ahead of the next election cycle. Monday’s unrest at the Bengal CEO office has heightened scrutiny of how the Commission manages the human and logistical complexities of the SIR, especially in politically sensitive states.
While details of the security breach remain unspecified, the Commission’s directive signals its recognition of the risk posed by swelling discontent among ground-level staff. With elections approaching, the ECI appears intent on avoiding any disruption to the roll revision process, even as it navigates growing calls from state leaders, employee unions, and civil society groups to review the pressures placed on government employees deployed as BLOs.
Whether Monday’s events will trigger structural adjustments to SIR workflows—or simply lead to temporary tightening of security—remains to be seen. For now, the Commission’s swift escalation to the Kolkata Police reflects its concern that administrative unrest could spill over into operational vulnerabilities at a crucial moment in the state’s election preparations.