Kolkata, April 14: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) lodged a complaint on Tuesday with West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal against the District Electoral Officer (DEO) of Kolkata South.
The complaint stems from a social media post by the DEO, which utilized a popular Bollywood song to promote the message of conducting free, fair, and violence-free elections ahead of the two-phase assembly elections scheduled for later this month.
The song in question is from the film “Dil,” featuring the lyrics “Hum pyaar karne wale duniya se na darne wale” (We who love do not fear the world). This film was released nationwide in June 1990 and starred notable actors such as Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher, and Saeed Jaffrey.
Kolkata South DEO Vibhu Goyal uploaded the song on X, accompanied by a clear and emphatic message: “Just as those who love do not fear this world and society, the ECI (Election Commission of India) is also unfazed by any criticism it may face while fulfilling its mission of conducting free, fair, and violence-free elections in West Bengal.”
In the accompanying message, the DEO advised anti-social elements to “keep burnol and boroline handy,” suggesting they would need it when security forces respond to any attempts to disrupt the peaceful voting process, which would cause them irritation and discomfort.
On Tuesday, TMC formally expressed strong opposition to the DEO’s social media post in their complaint to the West Bengal CEO.
The TMC’s complaint letter stated, “While this post superficially appears to promote free and fair voting, the language used is clearly threatening and coercive, undermining the dignity of a constitutional officer responsible for conducting elections. It mentions ‘thugs, goons, history-sheeters, and ruffians’ and advises them to keep a sufficient stock of burnol and boroline.”
The letter also warned that they would “burn from within and remember this for life.” It further claimed that when the “iron hand of the law” dealt with them, even these ointments would not help. This rhetoric resembles hidden threats of harm and revenge from someone in an official position.
According to TMC, this controversial post constitutes a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Under the MCC, it is mandatory to refrain from any activity that could exacerbate existing disputes or incite mutual hatred or tension among different groups.
The letter asserted, “The statements made in the controversial post fall under Section 351 of the Indian Penal Code, 2023, as ‘criminal threats,’ aimed at instilling fear in people and preventing them from acting in a particular manner. The mention of the ‘iron hand of the law’ in a threatening and personal context, along with the display of harmful imagery, crosses the line into coercion and intimidation.”
Leaders from the ruling party in West Bengal have also urged the ECI to immediately direct the Kolkata South DEO to remove the post from social media and initiate disciplinary action against him.
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