Thiruvananthapuram: The probe into the shocking electoral fraud conducted by leaders of police association is on. Kerala DGP Loknath Behra has finally handed over to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) the Intelligence chief’s report on the misuse of ballots by the members of the Kerala Police Association during the Lok Sabha polls in the state. The report says these are initial findings and only a detailed probe can unearth larger conspiracy.
CEO Teeka Ram Meena has promised to announce action on the report today. A detailed inquiry into the conspiracy is also expected.
A probe by the state Criminal Intelligence Department (CID) chief had confirmed that the members of the Kerala Police Association were threatened and their postal ballots were seized by its leaders. The serious case of malpractice during the recently held Lok Sabha polls in the state was reported to the DGP by state Intelligence chief ADGP T K Vinod Kumar after conducting a detailed inspection at all 20 districts.
The report clearly states two policemen were directly involved in rigging the process of collection and submission of ballots.
The Intelligence ADGP (Additional Director General of Police) was asked to hold a probe after allegations of large-scale malpractice in the postal ballots surfaced. In his probe, the officer even found voice evidence of association leaders threatening the police personnel to collect the postal ballots.
Most of the irregularities were detected at Kasaragod, Kannur, Vadakara, Alathur, Kollam and Attingal Lok Sabha constituencies, the Intelligence chief said in his four-page report.
It was also found that hundreds of postal ballots have been sent to one address. Around 80 ballots were reportedly sent to the house of a member of the Left-linked police association. This house is at Vattapara in Thiruvananthapuram.
It seems the expose has had no effect on misuse of power since the same police association later collected ballots from the offices of the ADGP who inquired into the issue and the DGP. (Postal ballots can be collected till 8 am on May 23, the day of the counting.)
Around 45,000 personnel of the half-lakh police force in the state had opted for postal vote.
It is said the DGP was pressured to submit the report after keeping it for three days. K Muralidharan, a Congress MLA, had made a scathing attack against the DGP yesterday during a march of Congress activists to the police headquarters over the issue.