New Delhi: The Election Commission today (Apr 23, 2004) gave a clean chit to the Goa Government on the controversial issue of a memo allegedly issued by a police officer to his constables asking them to keep a check on the movements of Opposition leaders and parties, saying there was no "involvement from higher-ups".

"Our inquiry shows that it was done at the personal level and there was no involvement of higher ups in the matter," Election Commissioner B B Tandon said in an informal meeting during his brief visit to the State.

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The Commission had set up a two-man inquiry committee following complaints and documentary proof from the Opposition Congress that ASI Y K Yeram of Mapusa CID (Central Investigative Department) had allegedly issued a memo to two of his constables asking them to keep a check on the activities of Congress, NCP and also on Opposition leaders like Jitendra Deshprabhu and Dayanand Narvekar.

Tandon, however, said that a final decision would be taken only after co-relating the inquiry report conducted by DIG, Goa with the report of the inquiry committee set up by the EC.

Expressing confidence that an adequate number of forces have been deployed in the State for the election process, Tandon declined to give the exact number of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.

When asked if the Election Commission had asked the Petroleum Ministry to review prices, Tandon categorically denied it by saying, "We have never asked them to do so."