Kerala Police Association accused of collecting ballots of officers on poll duty

The State police on Thursday ordered a Crime Branch (CB) investigation into the allegation that the Kerala Police Association (KPA) had collected absentee ballots of scores of officers tasked for poll duty in a bid to commit massive postal voter fraud purportedly in favour of the ruling front.

A preliminary probe by the Special Branch had reportedly found compelling evidence that at least three members of the police constabulary had attempted to gather postal ballots from politically “like-minded” colleagues to push their poll agenda.

Officers said the Intelligence recommendation had warranted further corroboration through a criminal investigation.

They said the CB probe would attempt to found out whether any person had cast postal ballots of fellow officers on poll duty by proxy.

The agency would also verify whether the suspected electoral fraud involved surrogate filling of postal ballot forms and forgery of signatures of absentee voters. It would also look into the accusation that KPA members had mailed tampered postal ballots in batches to returning officers concerned from post offices near the addresses of voters to avoid suspicion. The CB would also try to gauge the extend of the alleged fraud.

The scandal came to light when a television channel broadcast an audio clip, circulated widely on a police WhatsApp group, of a former KPA office bearer urging fellow members to collect postal ballots of commandos.

The KPA has since denied any involvement in the alleged voting fraud. However, its denial and Mr. Behera's decision to hold a CB enquiry into the alleged voting fraud has failed to tamp down Opposition criticism.

KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran said his party would settle for nothing less than a judicial enquiry. He said the ruling front had used its minions in the KPA to undermine the electoral system. Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala had called the alleged voting fraud a well-coordinated effort to tamper postal ballots of officers through a carrot-and-stick approach that involved the threat of transfer to those who did not comply with the KPA's self-imposed mandate to help the ruling front.

The CB was likely to register a case only after a prefatory enquiry of its own.