Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, on Wednesday, levelled serious allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI) as he posted “WhatsApp chats” of a special poll observer and other officials, and questioned whether the Supreme Court’s order was being openly disobeyed.
Abhishek alleged that important instructions were being conveyed through informal channels, such as WhatsApp, bypassing formal and documented procedures. He published the chat details of IAS officer C Murugan, who was deputed as a special roll observer in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas.
However, Murugan denied the allegation, saying that what he wrote on WhatsApp was not all instructions but only clarification.
“Is the @ECISVEEP of the view that directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court can be openly FLOUTED? The highest Court of the land has repeatedly emphasised transparency, due process, and adherence to official channels of communication. Yet we are witnessing instructions being circulated over WhatsApp rather than through formal, traceable, and accountable mechanisms,” Abhishek wrote on X.
“Even more disturbing are credible reports of Special Roll Observer, C. Murugan, issuing instructions regarding the acceptability of birth certificates directly to Micro Observers in a WhatsApp group, to inflate deletion numbers. Need I remind the ECI of the Supreme Court’s categorical directive that the role of micro-observers must remain strictly assistive? Why, then, is statutory procedure being bypassed, and under whose instructions?” he asked.
“Additionally, Roll Observers are designated district-wise, yet it is seen that login credentials linked to these observers are being accessed from a central location in Kolkata. Login Data is being misused to generate queries and specifically target a certain community at the direction of ECI’s political masters in Delhi. Should this matter be independently examined, it will be established that the tower location and IP address of the login device differ from the actual location of the concerned roll observer,” he added.
“The Election Commission derives its legitimacy from PUBLIC TRUST, not POLITICAL PATRONAGE. We shall pursue this matter before the highest court of law. Further, any person aligning themselves with or acting at the behest of Zamindars of Delhi will face stringent and uncompromising legal action. Brace yourselves!”
WhatsApp screeshots
The Trinamool Congress leader also attached several screenshots of the purported chats, which showed Murugan’s response to a query from an Electoral Roll Micro Observer (ERMO).
“Boss don’t raise irrelevant queries, pl check the cases only based on the uploaded documents with 13 recognized documents. Birth certificate issued by panchayat pradhan is not acceptable.”
“Received further clarification on this issue, if the registration of birth happens within 30 days, panchayat can issue birth certificate, if more than 30 days DM authorised Executive magistrates will issue.”
“All the ERMOs are requested to follow only these guidelines for Permanent residence certificate / domicile certificate. In Bengal it is issued for non bengalees For the appointment in army or any paramilitary purpose. Certificate issued for any other purpose is not acceptable in SIR.”
In another conversation, an ERMO asked, “Family Register by ICDS and only Aadhar in case of 1987 to 2004 cases is it ok in “No Mapping”?” Murugan answered “NO’.
When The Indian Express contacted Murugan, he said, “I never disobeyed the honourable Supreme Court’s direction. I did not give any instructions in the WhatsApp group. I only gave clarifications of the instructions which ECI had already given.”
ECI sources said that after the Supreme Court order, no official instruction was sent via WhatsApp or any other informal channel. “The Supreme Court never said observers can’t give clarification or answers to the queries raised by ERMOs,” a senior ECI official said.