Kolkata: The BJP on Thursday accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of instigating a mob to gherao for several hours seven judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Malda district over the deletion of names from the voters list.
Security forces used batons to disperse the crowd and rescued the judicial officers, including three women, late at night on Wednesday. Alleging large-scale removal of names of voters in the SIR process, the protesters also blocked National Highway 12 (Kolkata-Siliguri) on Wednesday.
The judicial officers, including three women, were at the Kaliachak 2 Block Development Office, which was gheraoed by the protesters around 4 pm. A large contingent of security forces rescued them after midnight.
“Afraid of losing the elections following the deletion of names of bogus voters, the TMC has mobilised jihadi elements in the district and orchestrated this unconstitutional, illegal agitation, keeping judicial officers, magistrates, including women confined in the extreme heat, humid conditions for hours,” BJP state spokesperson Debajit Sarkar said.
Stating any discrepancy in the electoral roll and the continued uncertainty over inclusion of names in supplementary list was due to the “deliberate slow uploading of data as the state did not employ adequate number of officials,” he alleged that a section of the administration still sides with the corrupt, undemocratic regime, but they should now stop their partisan activities.
“They (some police and government officials) must understand that when the EC has taken every step to ensure not a single bogus elector can cast votes, the old practice should not click any more,” Sarkar added.
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said, “The EC is now monitoring everything – the administration and police. They must explain why such a thing occurred. Why were judicial officials gheraoed by aggrieved villagers for so many hours? We never support any move to take the law into one’s hands.
Ghosh said the TMC had repeatedly flagged the issue of deletion of lakhs of names of voters in the name of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls including Malda, which tops the list, and drew the attention of the Election Commission but the poll panel never took cognisance and the Kalichak incident was indicative of the anger and frustration of people, though the TMC would never support the way of demonstration.
The judicial officials were brought out of the BDO office, even as protesters attempted to block their vehicles by placing bamboo poles on the road and tried to vandalise the cars.
The police used batons to disperse the crowd during the rescue operation.
As per directions of the Supreme Court, judicial officers are currently examining cases of voters whose names were marked “under adjudication” in the electoral rolls published on February 28, to determine whether they should be retained or deleted.
According to officials, the protesters had initially sought a meeting with the judicial officers. After being denied entry, they began a demonstration and gheraoed the premises.
Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
