Thiruvananthapuram: The probe into rampant electoral fraud in Kerala during the Lok Sabha elections in the state is on. It has emerged that the special branch of the Kerala Police and officials of district collectorates failed to stop and report on the alleged misappropriation of the postal ballots of cops.
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. Around 45,000 personnel of the half-lakh police force in the state had opted for postal vote.
Even before the Lok Sabha polls, there were reports that the Kerala Police Association officers would attempt to threaten cops and collect their postal ballots. And such coercion would happen at police stations, battalions and special units.
Every police station in the state has an officer each from the district special branch and state special branch. From head constable to officers in grade SI ranks are posted at the stations.
Their task is to report to the district police chief and Intelligence ADGP about the daily happenings at each station. Matters of importance can be conveyed over the phone as well.
These officers were reportedly witness to police personnel at stations being threatened and their postal vote request forms being forcefully collected. Not only that, if more than one postal ballot turned up in the name of a cop that too had to reported.
However, most of the special branch officers are reportedly part of CPM-linked associations or supporters. Therefore, instead of reporting the malpractice they allegedly urged the police personnel to hand over their postal ballots.
Several people, indulging opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, had complained about this to Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), who sought an explanation from the authorities.
However, without even consulting the Intelligence wing, authorities replied that there were no such malpractices, it was learnt.
Later, voice recordings of cops being threatened surfaced, prompting the CEO to seek another report. A probe had also found that hundreds of postal ballots were 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.
As per the DGP's instructions, special branch DySPs conducted preliminary probe in districts and submitted reports to the ADGP. Questions then arose on why this procedure was not carried out in the first place.
Postal ballots are sent to applicants from the collectorates. The officials at the collectorates can easily spot the malpractice when more than one postal ballot is being sent to a person's address. If the CEO had sought an explanation when the first complaint was received, this irregularity too would have been exposed.
The laxity from the part of both the agencies ended up curtailing the right to vote of several police personnel.
Special branch refers to that wing of the police that focuses on internal security and intelligence.
