The State electoral machinery had a major hiccup on Wednesday in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election as two officers on poll duty were suspended by the South Goa Collector and later booked by the police on charges of not following procedures while allegedly seizing cash of Rs 16 lakh from two Delhi-based real estate businessmen at Dabolim.
The preliminary inquiry states that Rs 16 lakh was seized by the two officers who posed as Income Tax sleuths but the cash was not declared as mandated by the Election Commission guidelines, which means that the money remained with the duo without any official record.
The incident exposes the inherent loopholes in the enforcement system and leaves the question of transparency wide open. Firstly, it would be interesting to know how these officers were tipped off, by whom and whether the person who tipped off was part of the larger plan to 'extort' money.
Secondly, how does one verify the money which is stated to be Rs 16 lakh? Even if the seizure is detected through CCTV footage, it would be next to impossible to put a number to the notes, which means that the amount estimation is purely based on the statement given by the businessmen versus the claim of the two officers.
Thirdly, on what basis did the two businessmen part away with the money if they believed that it was legally tendered currency and not black money? Why was a receipt not sought? Moreover, if the cash they were holding was legal, there was no reason to part with it, and if that was black money, there was no valid reason to call the I-T department and inquire.
The incident is intriguing but exposes the ugly side of the electoral system. What happens if the electoral officers seize cash and strike a compromise with the offenders, or do not report it at all like the current case? How does the system proceed if the officers deny seizing money?
An election is a period where money becomes a crucial component for the parties and political leaders to influence voting. As a counter, it is for the election machinery to deal appropriately and ensure fairness is maintained during the electoral exercise.
In a press conference addressed last month by the State Chief Electoral Officer Ramesh Verma, he stressed the fact that his team will deal strictly with “misinformation” campaigns on social media. Likewise, he also maintained that the election machinery is prepared to deal with “money power” incidents. The Dabolim incident beats the preparedness of electoral officers and raises the stakes for those deployed on duty.
On Thursday two more constables were booked in connection with the case indicating that there could be more than what meets the eye. For example, against the claim of Rs 16 lakh given to the two officers, only Rs 8 lakh was recovered on Thursday evening, with a question mark still hanging over the total cash exchanged. The staggered action against the police, the belated action by the South Goa Superintendent of Police who got to know of the incident on the eve of Easter Sunday and the stoic silence that the south Collector and police bosses are maintaining over the case raises suspicion of an organised racket.
There has to be a thorough inquiry into the incident and the culprits must be brought to book. Also, the CEO must look inward, and weed out the black sheep within before lecturing on curbing money flow in elections. Such cases not only defeat the objective but completely vitiate the electoral environment.
