Assam: FIR against Nalbari DC for 'mentally harassing' circle officer
A circle officer in Assam has lodged a police complaint against Varnali Deka, the Nalbari District Commissioner (DC), accusing the latter of "mental harassment, public humiliation, and threatening" while she was on election duty. In the complaint, Arpana Sarmah alleged that she was assigned to manage the receipt counter of the Tihu assembly via a WhatsApp message on election day without any briefing about labor management or election materials.
Officer Sarmah accuses Deka of public humiliation
Sarmah alleged that due to a lack of available laborers after midnight, the received materials were not returned to their designated locations. When only materials from around seven polling stations remained uncollected after 1:00am, Deka publicly humiliated her with derogatory language, according to Sarmah. Despite explaining that the lack of labor at 1:00am was beyond her control, Sarmah says Deka continued to verbally abuse her.
Sarmah records conversation, seeks police protection
Sarmah also claims to have recorded her conversation with Deka out of concern for her career and the smooth conduct of the Lok Sabha elections. She stopped recording and decided to carry the trunks herself when Deka attempted to take her mobile phone. Feeling "scared and helpless," Sarmah left the counters and called her husband. She lodged a complaint at 2:09am on Wednesday, stating she felt threatened and unsafe.
Deka dismisses allegations, accuses Sarmah of negligence
Responding to the allegations, Deka said that Sarmah's complaint was "false, baseless, and imaginary." She instead accused Sarmah of neglecting her duty and abandoning her responsibilities at 2:00am without completing the assigned job. Deka also claims that Sarmah's video recording inside an election material counter threatened the security of the EVMs received from the polling booths. The officer-in-charge at Nalbari Police Station, Arup Jyoti Baishya, confirmed that an investigation is in progress.
