The Election Commission’s nodal officer in charge of Electronic Voting Machines and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails in Krishnagar in Ranaghat constituency in West Bengal’s Nadia district is missing since Thursday afternoon, PTI reported on Friday.
On Thursday morning, 30-year-old Arnab Roy, left his official quarters in Krishnanagar for poll duty at Bipradas Choudhury Polytechnic College, a senior district police officer told the news agency. His vehicle was found parked outside the college.
The police said the last location of his two mobile phones was in the district’s Shantipur city. “After Shantipur his location could not be detected as his phones were switched off,” they added. “This is making it difficult for us to locate him.”
Preliminary investigation revealed that Roy reportedly had a tiff with District Magistrate Sumit Gupta, who is also his neighbour, a few days ago. Gupta, however, denied that any such altercation had occurred. “Whoever has told you such a thing has given wrong information,” he told PTI. “Nothing has happened between us. We have initiated a search for him.”
The State Election Commission has also initiated an inquiry, ANI reported. The poll body has reportedly asked the magistrate to submit a report.
Ranaghat will go to polls in the fourth phase on April 29.
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