EC acts on SP complaint over police checking naqab-wearing voters

The chief electoral officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday directed police chiefs in poll-bound districts not to verify voter identities by asking women to remove burqas, hijabs, or naqabs. The responsibility lies solely with returning officers and their teams, the CEO said.
The directive followed a complaint by the Samajwadi Party (SP), which alleged that police harassment of burqa-clad women during identity checks had previously contributed to low voter turnout.
Welcoming the decision, SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand stated, “We thank the Election Commission for acting on our complaint. We hope these directives will be followed strictly to ensure voters are not harassed. If any misconduct occurs, we urge the EC to take stringent action.”
Earlier, on November 18, SP state president Shyam Lal Pal cited the ‘Handbook for Returning Officers’ in a letter to the state EC, asserting that voter verification is exclusively the job of EC officials. The letter also accused certain police personnel of forcing Muslim women to remove their hijabs or naqabs during previous elections, creating fear among voters and suppressing turnout.
Reacting to the SP’s allegations, deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak dismissed the claims, stating, “The BJP is confident of winning all nine seats. The SP is resorting to baseless accusations as it has a history of questioning constitutional bodies. I assure you that all EC rules and regulations will be followed diligently.”
The bypolls for nine assembly seats in U.P. are scheduled for November 20, with the counting set for November 23.