New Delhi: 2 BDO offices vandalised in south Bengal over SIR ‘harassment’, protests held
KOLKATA: Offices of two block development officers in South Bengal were vandalised by mobs on Tuesday following accusations that the election officials were harassing people during the ongoing hearings for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral roll.
Police said groups of people vandalised the BDO offices in Sandeshkhali-I in North 24 Parganas and Basanti in South 24 Parganas, where SIR hearings were being conducted, broke furniture and computers and tore documents.
Sandeshkhali-I BDO Sayantan Sen said they were holding hearings when some people entered the office and started damaging the furniture and computers. Documents were also torn, he told reporters.
Large groups of people also blocked roads with burning tyres at multiple locations, including Maheshtala and Dholahat in South 24 Parganas, Polba in Hooghly, and Barasat in North 24 Parganas. A PTI report said people also staged demonstrations in Jhargram and Purba Medinipur districts against the exercise.
The attacks come a day after the Supreme Court issued directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to make the process transparent, accessible and voter-friendly, and reiterated that the core purpose of the exercise was to ensure that no eligible voter is excluded.
The top court also responded to ECI’s concerns about violence against officials involved in the exercise and ordered district authorities to deploy adequate staff and force at the centres. The bench also warned that the state’s director general of Police (DGP) would be personally responsible for ensuring that “no law and order situation” arises and the entire process is completed smoothly.
A local resident who witnessed the Basanti in South 24 Parganas said some people lost their temper with the officials because of their conduct.
“We had been standing in the queue since 9 am. The officials, who would conduct the hearing, arrived around 11:30 am. Even though we submitted the documents required during the hearing, we were not given any acknowledgement slips. Some people got infuriated and started breaking the furniture,” the person said.
Last week, BDO offices in Farakka, Murshidabad, and Chakulia, North Dinajpur, were vandalised.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders said election officials were still not following the top court’s directions and giving acknowledgement slips and it was only due to the police that there were isolated cases of violence.
“Just because the police in West Bengal are active and we (TMC) are connected to the people, only one or two such incidents have taken place so far and not in hundreds. Despite the apex court’s order to give acknowledgement slips to voters who submit documents during the hearing, the poll panel has not done that. What would happen to the electors whose hearing has already been done? People are concerned about all these. The ECI and the BJP are not after Rohingyas and Bangladeshis. They are after the people of Bengal,” TMC state spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharyasaid.
Bengal BJP leader Sajal Ghosh said the attacks were orchestrated. “Which order of the Supreme Court has the TMC government followed till date, that they will follow the latest order? These are not spontaneous public outbursts. This is the specific agenda of the TMC. They are targeting one place at a time and deliberately triggering violence. This is to create an ambience of terror and panic,” he said.
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