Tripura polls: Molestation charge against returning officer, SDPO

A returning officer and the sub-divisional police officer of Gandacherra in Dhalai district of poll-bound Tripura have been charged with molesting women and an inquiry has been constituted to probe the incident.

Chief Electoral Officer Asutosh Jindal said last night that he had received complaints that unspecified number of women were allegedly molested and men accompanying them were allegedly harassed by the two in the name of checking vehicles when they were returning from a campaign rally of the ruling Left Front on January 20.

The secretary of Gandacherra unit of CPI-M, Lalit Tripura had lodged the complaint with Jindal the next day.

According to the complain the returning officer and sub-divisional magistrate of Gandacherra, Sandip N Mahtye and sub-divisional police officer Ranadhir Debbarma had stopped the vehicles on Sunday night at the foot of Kalajhari hills in the name of checking harassed the party activists and supporters of the party and molested the women members.

During the searches there were no women police personnel present and the two officers molested the women, Tripura complained.

When the party activists protested, the officers threatened them of strict action, the complain said.

The CPI-M workers were returning from a rally addressed by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and party general secretary Prakash Karat.

Dhalai district magistrate has been asked to inquire into the incident and submit a report, Jindal said.

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