Kolkata, Feb 7 (PTI) A protest erupted at an SIR hearing centre in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas on Saturday over allegations that attempts were being made to remove the names of living voters from the rolls by showing them as dead, police said.
Leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, accused TMC supporters of hooliganism at the Baduria block office, while the ruling party in the state denied the charge and claimed that common people were frustrated with the exercise.
Some locals alleged that 33 voters from booth number 45 in Chandipur gram panchayat at Benagram and booth number 80 in Atghara gram panchayat were asked to fill up ‘Form 7’, a police officer said.
As per Election Commission rules, ‘Form 7’ is used either for the deletion of names of deceased voters or for removing duplicate entries when a voter’s name appears in more than one assembly constituency.
The affected voters alleged that there was a conspiracy to deliberately delete their names by declaring them dead.
“The aggrieved voters staged a protest at the Baduria block office, alleging that the BJP was behind the move to falsely declare living voters as deceased,” the officer said.
Local residents demanded that the Election Commission take strict action against those involved in the “conspiracy”.
Baduria BDO Partha Hazra said several voters have submitted complaints and an investigation was underway.
“The matter is being examined and the complaints are being verified,” he said.
The state Chief Electoral Officer’s office has also sought a report from the district election officer concerned, officials said.
Adhikari accused the state government of “deliberately” allowing the breakdown of law and order during the voter list revision process.
In a social media post, he claimed that Trinamool Congress’s “lumpen elements” created ruckus inside the Baduria block office, similar to previous incidents in Farakka and Chakulia.
He alleged that miscreants vandalised the premises and intimidated officials during the SIR hearing.
Saturday was the last day of hearing unless extended.
Adhikari also shared a video purportedly showing a group of angry people misbehaving with BDO office’s staffers, even as officials were seen trying to pacify the agitated crowd.
PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
In his post, written in Bengali, the BJP leader alleged that there was no law and order in the state, and that the state government had “knowingly withdrawn” police personnel from the hearing centre to facilitate alleged illegal activities of TMC leaders and workers.
He accused the ruling party in the state of attempting to manipulate the voter list and protect “illegal voters” without facing administrative hurdles.
TMC spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya denied the involvement of party workers in the incident and said it was expression of “people’s frustration over harassment and BJP’s attempt to strike off valid voters”.
Trinamool Congress leader Mehebub Alam alleged that with the assembly elections approaching, the BJP was conspiring to remove the names of living voters from the rolls.
He, however, asserted that the attempt would not succeed. He said the 33 voters would file complaints at Baduria police station after their hearings. PTI BSM SCH ACD
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