An FIR was nevertheless registered at Kunihar police station on May 17 under the Representation of the People Act after the ballot papers went missing during the process of writing candidates’ names on them. The case was registered on a complaint filed by the Block Development Officer, and the police investigation will continue.
Solan Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma said a report had been sought by the State Election Commission (SEC) after the matter attracted media attention. “As per the inquiry conducted by the Arki Subdivisional Magistrate, no malafide intention was found on the part of the eight employees assigned the task of writing names of contesting candidates on the ballot papers,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner added that the inquiry report submitted to the SEC cited negligence and the possibility that the ballot papers were blown away by the fan in the room where the work was underway.
Ballot papers bearing serial numbers 5265516 to 5265670 had been issued for the said panchayat. However, ballot papers numbered 5265669 and 5265670 were found missing during inspection.
As a precautionary measure, officials have been directed to ensure the missing ballot papers are not misused during polling or counting. All eight polling officials involved have been relieved from election duty and sent back to their respective departments.
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