Guwahati, Apr 18: Debabrata Saikia, the Leader of Opposition in Assam’s outgoing assembly, raised serious concerns on Saturday about security shortcomings at the strongroom storing election materials from Demow, Sivasagar, and Nazira constituencies. In a letter to Election Observer Narasimhaguri T L Reddy, he described the arrangements at Room No. 12 and 15 in Sivasagar Government Boys HS and MP School as clear breaches of Election Commission guidelines.
Polling across Assam’s 126 assembly seats occurred on April 9, with results due on May 4. Saikia attached photographic evidence showing two doors secured by just a single padlock on one side sealed but vulnerable while the other door seemed only closed from inside. He argued this setup blatantly defies the Commission’s rules for a single entry point with a double-lock system, where one key stays with the Returning Officer and the other with the Assistant Returning Officer.
The Leader of Opposition stressed that such a single-lock arrangement makes the shared-key protocol useless, exposing sensitive materials to unauthorized access. Beyond structural flaws, he pointed to a breakdown in perimeter security and surveillance. Guidelines demand Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for the innermost perimeter, State Armed Police for the outer one, and at least one CAPF platoon for round-the-clock guarding none of which he found in place.
Saikia also highlighted the missing CCTV cameras, which the Commission requires to cover sealed doors, strongrooms, security areas, and corridors, complete with adequate storage. He objected to a District Administration press release posted on the ‘Moi Sivasagar’ Facebook page that brushed off his worries by claiming no formal complaint existed. In reality, he noted, he had submitted a detailed representation to the Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Election Commissioner on April 14, copying other officials.
Allowing unsecured office rooms nearby with basic locks undermines the entire inner security perimeter, Saikia warned, urging the Election Observer to address these issues immediately to protect the electoral process’s integrity and transparency.
