Clash at Kerala EVM strongroom over protocol

AExchange commentator’s endeavor to override Kerala’s strong-room lockup protocols sparked a tense up standoff Thursday evening in Kottayam, with CISF personnel allegedly pointing weapons at local election officials, said officials attached to the office of the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).The confrontation unfolded at Baselios College, the designated strong room housing electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the Vaikom constituency, the CEO officials added.Ranjit Kumar Sinha, a 2005-batch IAS officer, was appointed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as Central Observer for Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom (SC), and Ettumanoor seats. After polling ended on April 9, Sinha directed that keys to the locks of the strong-room be sealed and left attached to the locks, with only spare copies to be retained by officials. Sinha cited this as standard practice in states like West Bengal and Assam, officials said.“Under Kerala’s established procedure, the strong room has two separate locks. The Returning Officer (RO) retains one key and the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) retains the other, ensuring that the room can only be opened when both are present,” senior state CEO officials said, and added, “The observer’s direction would have altered this system by leaving the keys at the door, instead of maintaining dual custody.”The directive drew immediate objections from the Kottayam West Police on security grounds, as well as from the RO, CEO officials said. Ettumanoor UDF candidate and DCC president Nattakam Suresh and election agent G Gopakumar also filed a formal complaint with district collector Chetan Kumar Meena and CEO of Kerala, Rathan U Kelkar.“During the process of re-securing the strong room according to established protocol, a tense situation arose between CISF personnel, state police, and state election officials because the CISF was acting on the observer’s instructions. However, the matter was resolved after consultations between the observer and the District Collector,” CEO officials said.The standoff ended with an agreement to follow the original Kerala procedure; keys were handed over to the RO and ARO. The strong room doors were then secured with additional reinforcements, including plywood sheets and a wooden plank.When HT contacted Sinha for his response on the matter, he did not respond to queries.CEO Kelkar said that EVMs and VVPATs were stored in strong rooms in the presence of candidates or their representatives under the supervision of central observers. “The entire process was videographed, and a two-tier armed security system along with CCTV surveillance has been put in place. Candidates have been informed to depute representatives to monitor the security arrangements and are allowed to stay outside the inner security perimeter,” he said.He added that the strong rooms will be opened on counting day in the presence of candidates or their representatives and central observers under videography. The Vaikom (SC) constituency in Kottayam district is scheduled for counting on May 4.