Rohtas: The Election Commission has dismissed the Returning Officer for the Chenari Assembly constituency in Bihar following disturbances at a counting center in Sasaram, Rohtas district. This decision was made in light of claims regarding irregularities with electronic voting machines (EVMs). In a directive issued on Thursday, Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer, Vinod Singh Gunjyal, instructed the District Election Officer and District Magistrate (DM) of Rohtas to immediately relieve Returning Officer Lalit Bhushan Ranjan of all election responsibilities. Zafar Hasan has been appointed as his successor, starting at 4 p.m. The DM was also told to remove Ranjan from all current election-related tasks, including vote counting.
This action was prompted by an incident late on Wednesday night when candidates and their supporters assembled outside the Takiya Market Committee premises in Sasaram—where EVMs were kept—accusing officials of tampering with the machines. Protesters alleged that CCTV cameras within the strong room and at the entrance had been turned off. Tensions heightened when a truck entered the area and remained there for about three hours, raising suspicions that EVMs were being relocated. When the truck tried to leave, several candidates and their supporters blocked its exit, demanding to know why it had been allowed entry and why surveillance cameras were disabled. Candidates from all seven assembly constituencies in Rohtas district, including Chenari, participated in the protest.
Around 2:30 a.m., police intervened and dispersed the crowd using a lathi charge. Reports indicated that the truck was associated with the Chenari Assembly constituency. District Magistrate Udita Singh later sought clarification from Ranjan, confirming that the vehicle contained only empty boxes and not EVMs, thus dismissing the allegations as baseless.
