Maharashtra polls: 155 govt employees booked for failing to report for poll duty

The police have registered a case against as many as 155 government employees for allegedly failing to report for poll duty during the Maharashtra local body elections an official said on Thursday reported the PTIThe employees belong to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in the Marathwada region and nearby areas under Phulambri and Gangapur Panchayat Samiti They were assigned electionrelated duties but did not collect polling materials or report for work officials saidDespite receiving written orders the staff members remained absent from duty the official addedPolling for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra including the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation was held on January 15 The counting of votes will take place on January 16Complaint filedBased on a complaint filed by Assistant Commissioner Uday Manwatkar of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation the City Chowk police registered a case against the employees under the Representation of the People Act for dereliction of official duty the news agency reported80 staffers of Dombivli school booked for being absent during trainingMeanwhile in an another incident earlier the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation KDMC had registered FIR against 80 teaching and nonteaching staff members of Pawar Public School in Palava area of Dombivli East for allegedly remaining absent from mandatory election training for the KDMC Election 2026However the school management has stated that while it duly informed all selected staff about the election duty their absence was a matter of individual choice and not institutional noncomplianceThe FIR was registered at Bazarpeth Police Station in Kalyan West on Sunday evening under Section 223 disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS 2023Civic bodyrsquos complaintThe complaint was lodged by Assistant Municipal Commissioner Sandeep Rokade who stated that official orders appointing 80 staff members as presiding officers and polling officers were issued on January 6 under the authority of the Municipal Commissioner and Election OfficerldquoDespite written orders repeated telephonic communication and reminders issued over a sixday period from January 6 to January 11 the appointed personnel failed to attend compulsory election training programmes organised by the civic body adversely affecting election preparednessrdquo Rokade said in his police statementSchool managementrsquos responseResponding to the allegations Pawar Public School principal Ishita Chowdhury said the institution had received three notices from KDMC mdash on December 19 2025 December 29 2025 and January 9 2026 mdash which were promptly forwarded to all 122 teaching and nonteaching staff members selected for election dutyldquoThe school administration did its part by informing the staff as and when notices were received However it was their individual decision not to attend the trainingrdquo Chowdhury saidldquoI can appeal to the staff but I cannot force them into doing something they do not want to dordquo she addedPostFIR compliance measuresChowdhury further stated that following the registration of the FIR the school took immediate steps to ensure complianceldquoOn Sunday after the FIR was filed we asked all staff to attend the training We kept the school on a halfday on Monday sent students home early and allowed the staff to report for trainingrdquo she saidAccording to her around 25 staff members had attended the training even before the FIR was registered while an additional 50 to 55 teaching and nonteaching staff attended the programme on MondayStaff cite health concerns and past experiencesSome staff members reportedly refused to report for election duty citing medical or healthrelated reasons Others pointed to their past experiences during Lok Sabha and State Assembly electionsldquoThe conditions were pathetic There were no washrooms no breaks and duty hours stretched from eight to twelve hoursrdquo said a teacherldquoThere were pregnant women and people with health issues but no consideration was given That is why many of us did not want to go through the same ordeal againrdquo said another teacherPossible withdrawal of FIRPawar Public School is also designated as one of the polling centres for the upcoming KDMC electionsMeanwhile a school administration official said discussions had been held with the police following the FIRldquoWe have spoken to the police and agreed to do what is necessary The police have assured us that they will squash the FIR once there is compliance from our endrdquo the official said