New Delhi: The Haryana Police Sangathan has claimed that thousands of their votes were “stolen” from them and that they were deprived of a free and fair vote. The state of Haryana went to polls in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 25.
An association of serving and former police personnel, the HPS has a strength of nearly 50,000 police officials. The group has lodged a complaint with the State Election Commission requesting their intervention into the claim that their votes were stolen.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Owing to the nature of their work, police personnel who find themselves deployed on duty on polling day usually vote by the system of postal ballot. HPS president Dilawar Singh told The Wire that there was apprehension of “manipulation by senior police and administration” in their postal ballot papers.
“The standard practice should be to fill out Form No. 12 along with our particulars, and cast our votes individually, in the presence of the election candidates, or election agents,” Singh said. Form 12 is a formal application for election duty staff to cast their votes through postal ballot.
But, Singh alleged, instead of being allowed to cast their votes on their own, cops were called to their respective district police superintendent’s office or the district police headquarters and directed to submit their Form No. 12 along with their particulars and unstamped ballot papers.
The HPS sent a complaint to the State Election Commissioner, in which it asserted that police personnel were being “robbed” of their votes. It alleges in the complaint of a “collusion” between senior police officials and the administration in the 2019 general elections as well.
“The DGP of Haryana ordered all the policemen on-duty to deposit their forms and particulars with the Police Welfare Department, which also functions as the Election Cell,” their complaint notes.
Copy of the letter sent by the nodal officer and police headquarters, Narnaul/Special arrangement.
The HPS was formed in the year 1979 and claims membership of 50,000 from among the retired and serving constabulary, head constables, assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors and inspectors in the state’s police. Singh said that owing to their experience with postal ballots in 2019 as well, several police personnel refused to vote this time.
“We were made to deposit our forms, Aadhaar cards and voter IDs at the SP’s office. That’s not a free and fair vote. This time, out of the strength of 2,125 policemen in Rohtak district alone, only 148 have voted. The others have chosen not to. Why will they vote when the SP’s office is collecting and handling their papers?” Singh added.
Earlier this May 2024, the HPS had appealed to election authorities to ensure that all on-duty policemen be handed over their copies of Form No.12 individually and be allowed to cast their votes in the presence of the candidates contesting the elections or their agents, in absence of which many did not vote.
In their complaint and press release, they also enclosed a copy of a recent notice issued by the Mahendragarh SP, in which the policemen were directed to collectively deposit their Form No. 12 along with their particulars and copies of voter IDs at the Election Cell in the SP’s office.
When contacted, the SP, Arsh Verma, claimed, “Postal ballots are done in full secrecy”. He also maintained that the letter was issued by the nodal officer and that they had received no complaint regarding this matter. Meanwhile, the SEC’s nodal media officer Manish Lohan said that they were not aware of any such complaint, and would look into the same once “fully apprised” of the matter.
