At least five police officers in Uttar Pradesh were suspended, and several others were relieved of their polling duties after violating Election Commission guidelines and obstructing voters’ rights during the ongoing assembly by-elections.
The action came after multiple complaints from opposition parties, particularly the Samajwadi Party, which alleged that Muslim voters were being prevented from casting their votes. SP president Akhilesh Yadav had called on the EC to suspend all officers involved in voter card and Aadhaar ID verification, citing video evidence of the misconduct.
In response to the allegations, district election officers and superintendents of police conducted investigations and suspended the officers involved. According to EC officials, in Muzaffarnagar, two sub-inspectors were suspended for failing to follow the EC’s guidelines on voter verification.
Following complaints related to voter identity card checks by police in Moradabad, a thorough investigation was carried out in the villages of Bhikanpur Kulwara and Milak Siri. As a result, one sub-inspector, two head constables, and two female constables were removed from their polling duties and reassigned to police lines.
During a press conference, Akhilesh Yadav emphasised that officers responsible for stopping and harassing SP voters would face legal action. He also urged voters who were initially blocked from voting to try again, following discussions with the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, based on video and photo evidence.
The SP’s X account posted over 80 complaints, tagging the EC regarding various anomalies across nine assembly seats. The complaints ranged from malfunctioning EVMs to alleged police harassment of voters. Along with these complaints, the party shared multiple videos and photos to support their allegations and demanded strict action against the officers involved.
Yadav urged voters to go to the polling stations without fear, reassured by the suspension of corrupt and biased officers, with more expected to face similar consequences.
