TMC claims CCTVs not working in strong room, official blames technical glitch
The TMC alleged that CCTVs stopped working at an EVM strong room in West Bengal's Cooch Behar, raising concerns over possible tampering. However, the Cooch Behar District Magistrate said only the external display feed was affected by a technical glitch, while internal surveillance remained active.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has alleged a surveillance lapse at an EVM strong room in Cooch Behar, claiming CCTV cameras were non-functional for hours and raising concerns over possible tampering with the machines. However, Cooch Behar District Magistrate Jitin Yadav clarified that while the external display feed faced a technical glitch, the internal CCTV monitoring system remained operational throughout.
Abhijit De Bhowmik, the Trinamool Congress candidate for the Cooch Behar South Assembly constituency and the party’s district president, alleged that the temporary blackout raised concerns over the security of EVMs and could have created an opportunity for tampering.
Bhowmik claimed similar complaints had emerged from both the Cooch Behar Sadar and Tufanganj subdivisions. He said the matter had been reported to the Election Commission and escalated to senior party leadership, including TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The strong room in question is located at Cooch Behar Polytechnic College, where EVMs from the Cooch Behar South and North Assembly constituencies are being stored ahead of counting.
According to the Trinamool Congress, camera number 5 inside the strong room stopped functioning from 4:09 pm onwards. Party workers stationed outside noticed another disruption earlier in the day as well. The repeated interruption in surveillance footage triggered suspicion among party representatives monitoring the facility.
The party further alleged that a similar technical issue had been reported at a strong room in the Tufanganj subdivision. Security of the EVMs remains under the supervision of the Election Commission.
WHAT DID THE COOCH BEHAR DM SAY?
Responding to the TMC's allegations, Yadav said the strong room is monitored through a two-layer CCTV system, with one feed covering the interior and another the exterior. Political party representatives are allowed access to the external feed.
He said officials examined the complaint and found that while the external display appeared inactive due to a technical issue, the internal CCTV feed remained operational throughout.
Following the complaint, the Trinamool Congress candidate was shown footage from the internal monitoring system to verify that surveillance inside the strong room had continued uninterrupted.
The first phase of polling saw 92.9 per cent turnout, the highest since Independence, and the second phase will be held on April 29. Notably, Cooch Behar saw the highest turnout at 96.04 per cent.
Vote counting is scheduled for May 4 and political parties have deployed workers to keep watch outside strong rooms until the declaration of results.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has alleged a surveillance lapse at an EVM strong room in Cooch Behar, claiming CCTV cameras were non-functional for hours and raising concerns over possible tampering with the machines. However, Cooch Behar District Magistrate Jitin Yadav clarified that while the external display feed faced a technical glitch, the internal CCTV monitoring system remained operational throughout.
Abhijit De Bhowmik, the Trinamool Congress candidate for the Cooch Behar South Assembly constituency and the party’s district president, alleged that the temporary blackout raised concerns over the security of EVMs and could have created an opportunity for tampering.
Bhowmik claimed similar complaints had emerged from both the Cooch Behar Sadar and Tufanganj subdivisions. He said the matter had been reported to the Election Commission and escalated to senior party leadership, including TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The strong room in question is located at Cooch Behar Polytechnic College, where EVMs from the Cooch Behar South and North Assembly constituencies are being stored ahead of counting.
According to the Trinamool Congress, camera number 5 inside the strong room stopped functioning from 4:09 pm onwards. Party workers stationed outside noticed another disruption earlier in the day as well. The repeated interruption in surveillance footage triggered suspicion among party representatives monitoring the facility.
The party further alleged that a similar technical issue had been reported at a strong room in the Tufanganj subdivision. Security of the EVMs remains under the supervision of the Election Commission.
WHAT DID THE COOCH BEHAR DM SAY?
Responding to the TMC's allegations, Yadav said the strong room is monitored through a two-layer CCTV system, with one feed covering the interior and another the exterior. Political party representatives are allowed access to the external feed.
He said officials examined the complaint and found that while the external display appeared inactive due to a technical issue, the internal CCTV feed remained operational throughout.
Following the complaint, the Trinamool Congress candidate was shown footage from the internal monitoring system to verify that surveillance inside the strong room had continued uninterrupted.
The first phase of polling saw 92.9 per cent turnout, the highest since Independence, and the second phase will be held on April 29. Notably, Cooch Behar saw the highest turnout at 96.04 per cent.
Vote counting is scheduled for May 4 and political parties have deployed workers to keep watch outside strong rooms until the declaration of results.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has alleged a surveillance lapse at an EVM strong room in Cooch Behar, claiming CCTV cameras were non-functional for hours and raising concerns over possible tampering with the machines. However, Cooch Behar District Magistrate Jitin Yadav clarified that while the external display feed faced a technical glitch, the internal CCTV monitoring system remained operational throughout.
Abhijit De Bhowmik, the Trinamool Congress candidate for the Cooch Behar South Assembly constituency and the party’s district president, alleged that the temporary blackout raised concerns over the security of EVMs and could have created an opportunity for tampering.
Bhowmik claimed similar complaints had emerged from both the Cooch Behar Sadar and Tufanganj subdivisions. He said the matter had been reported to the Election Commission and escalated to senior party leadership, including TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The strong room in question is located at Cooch Behar Polytechnic College, where EVMs from the Cooch Behar South and North Assembly constituencies are being stored ahead of counting.
According to the Trinamool Congress, camera number 5 inside the strong room stopped functioning from 4:09 pm onwards. Party workers stationed outside noticed another disruption earlier in the day as well. The repeated interruption in surveillance footage triggered suspicion among party representatives monitoring the facility.
The party further alleged that a similar technical issue had been reported at a strong room in the Tufanganj subdivision. Security of the EVMs remains under the supervision of the Election Commission.
WHAT DID THE COOCH BEHAR DM SAY?
Responding to the TMC's allegations, Yadav said the strong room is monitored through a two-layer CCTV system, with one feed covering the interior and another the exterior. Political party representatives are allowed access to the external feed.
He said officials examined the complaint and found that while the external display appeared inactive due to a technical issue, the internal CCTV feed remained operational throughout.
Following the complaint, the Trinamool Congress candidate was shown footage from the internal monitoring system to verify that surveillance inside the strong room had continued uninterrupted.
The first phase of polling saw 92.9 per cent turnout, the highest since Independence, and the second phase will be held on April 29. Notably, Cooch Behar saw the highest turnout at 96.04 per cent.
Vote counting is scheduled for May 4 and political parties have deployed workers to keep watch outside strong rooms until the declaration of results.
