Election Commission Suspends 7 UP Policemen for Interfering with Voters' Rights in By-Elections

In a significant move following complaints during the Uttar Pradesh by-elections, the Election Commission (EC) has suspended seven police officers for interfering with voters' rights. The suspensions come after accusations that the officers checked voters' IDs and prevented them from casting their votes, violating election guidelines.

The issue began when Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav released a video during the voting process showing police personnel checking the identification of voters in Kanpur's Sisamau constituency. The Election Commission had previously instructed that only election officials, candidates' polling agents, and election teams were authorized to check voters' IDs, not the police. The video quickly went viral, raising concerns over the police's actions.

Following the incident, the Election Commission acted promptly and suspended two Sub-Inspectors (SI) in Kanpur — Arun Kumar Singh and Rakesh Kumar Nadar — for their role in checking voter IDs and obstructing voters. The Commission also extended its action to other regions in Uttar Pradesh, suspending police officers from Murdabad and Muzaffarnagar for similar violations. A total of seven officers were suspended for failing to adhere to the guidelines set by the Election Commission.

The Election Commission clarified that police officers were only tasked with maintaining law and order and were not authorized to engage in the verification of voter IDs. The actions of the suspended officers were deemed a violation of these instructions, and the Commission stated that any attempts to prevent voters from exercising their rights would not be tolerated.