Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) late Saturday suspended three CRPF personnel for dereliction of duty after they reportedly ditched a Birbhum patrol to enter a Trinamool Congress office and play carrom for nearly an hour.
Sources said the jawans chatted casually with TMC workers before getting engrossed in the game, breaching impartiality. Outraged ECI officials launched a quick probe and ordered immediate suspension plus departmental proceedings.
The move underscores ECI's zero-tolerance for lapses ahead of Bengal Assembly polls, following prior BSF actions. It warns that such conduct tarnishes central forces' image and fuels bias doubts.
After Saturday's episode, jawans elsewhere in the district received warnings. These suspensions send a firm ECI message: central forces' lapses won't be overlooked during polls, no exceptions.
(Inputs from IANS)