Kolkata, Apr 2: Tension gripped West Bengal’s Malda district after seven judicial officers involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise were confined for several hours by agitating locals over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
The incident unfolded at the Kaliachak II Block Development Office, where the officials three of them women had been reviewing disputed voter entries. Protesters gathered outside the premises in the afternoon, demanding access to the officers and raising concerns about the exclusion of names from the voter list.
When their request for a meeting was denied, demonstrators surrounded the office, preventing the officials from leaving. The situation escalated as the crowd swelled and extended their agitation by blocking National Highway 12, disrupting traffic along the crucial Kolkata-Siliguri route.
A large deployment of security personnel reached the spot and launched a late-night operation to evacuate the stranded officials. Authorities said minimal force was used to disperse the crowd after some protesters attempted to obstruct the evacuation by placing bamboo barricades and targeting official vehicles.
During the commotion, there were unverified reports of minor injuries among protesters, though officials have not confirmed these claims.
The ongoing SIR process, being conducted under the supervision of judicial officers as per Supreme Court directives, involves scrutiny of voter entries marked “under adjudication” in the electoral rolls published earlier this year.
Officials indicated that the agitation began peacefully but intensified after protesters were denied entry into the premises. The standoff finally eased after a senior district official assured the crowd that genuine voters would have their names restored within a stipulated timeframe.
Following the assurance, the highway blockade was lifted, restoring normalcy in the area.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has taken note of the incident and sought a detailed report from the state’s top police authority. The development comes ahead of the upcoming two-phase polling in West Bengal later this month, adding to the political sensitivity surrounding voter roll revisions.