Kolkata, April 2 The BJP accused the ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday of inciting a mob to surround and prevent access to seven judicial officers involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Malda district over the removal of names from the voter list.
Security forces used batons to disperse the crowd and rescued the judicial officers, including three women, late Wednesday night. Alleging widespread removal of names from the voter list during 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 surrounded by the protesters around 4 pm. A large contingent of security forces rescued them after midnight.
"Afraid of losing the elections due to the removal of names of bogus voters, the TMC has mobilized extremist elements in the district and orchestrated this unconstitutional and illegal agitation, keeping judicial officers, magistrates, including women, confined in extreme heat and humid conditions for hours," said BJP state spokesperson Debajit Sarkar.
He alleged that any discrepancy in the voter list and the continued uncertainty over the inclusion of names in the supplementary list was due to the "deliberate slow uploading of data as the state did not employ an adequate number of officials." He further stated that a section of the administration still supports the corrupt and 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 that no bogus elector can cast votes, this old practice should no longer be used," 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 officers surrounded 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 raised the issue of the removal of lakhs of names from the voter list in the name of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, including Malda, which is at the top of 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 the people, although the TMC would never support the way of demonstration.
The judicial officers 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.
According to 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 surrounded 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.
