Chandigarh: The Punjab State Election Commission (SEC) has issued a strong advisory to the Director General of Police, directing all police personnel deployed for the December 14 Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections to maintain absolute neutrality and uphold a free, fair, and transparent voting process.
The directive follows an order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which instructed the SEC to ensure non-partisan conduct by police officials on election duty. The Commission stressed that the integrity of the electoral system must remain intact and that public confidence cannot be allowed to erode.
The SEC also highlighted that the upcoming local body elections will be intensely contested, as they are being held on party lines. It raised concerns over a recently circulated audio clip allegedly involving a senior Patiala police officer, noting that such incidents damage public perception of police neutrality.
In its detailed guidelines to the police, the Commission instructed that all SHOs and officers must respond to complaints without regard to political affiliation and avoid any conduct that could be seen as endorsing a candidate or party. It reiterated that no police officer should attend political events unless deployed for official security duties. DSPs have been asked to scrutinize cases involving vague or blank FIRs to prevent misuse against political rivals. The SEC also made clear that illegal detentions, intimidation of candidates or voters, and harassment will not be tolerated.
Operational directives for election day include updated risk assessments, proper deployment of personnel—especially in SC-dominated and high-risk areas—regular patrolling, naka checks, and strict action against impersonation, voter intimidation, or display of weapons. The SEC further instructed that polling parties and materials must be provided secure passage during dispatch and return, and that storage centres will remain under round-the-clock security until counting on December 17.
In a separate advisory, the SEC directed all Deputy Commissioners-cum-District Electoral Officers to ensure foolproof security and proper custody of ballot papers. The directive came after a report in The Tribune flagged concerns raised by a political party about alleged printing of fake ballot papers in Ambala.
The SEC ordered watertight record-keeping and strict monitoring of ballot papers printed at authorised presses. Returning Officers and Presiding Officers have been instructed to take personal responsibility for preventing any external or duplicate ballot paper from entering the polling system.
Reiterating existing safeguards, the Commission emphasised authorised collection and controlled custody of ballot papers, serial numbering of both ballots and counterfoils, mandatory signatures by Presiding Officers on each ballot before issue, proper accounting of all used and unused ballots, pre-poll display of empty ballot boxes to polling agents, and secure sealing and movement of ballot boxes after voting. It added that counted ballots must be stored safely at designated locations.
