Kolkata, February 24 – Members of the Adhikar Raksha Committee, a representative body for Booth Level Officers (BLOs), were accused of throwing shoes at the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, after he arrived at the office of the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Kolkata on Tuesday.
The Leader of the Opposition, Adhikari, and a BJP delegation came to meet the state CEO, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, as per the pre-arranged schedule.
As soon as the Leader of the Opposition arrived at the office premises, the BLOS intensified their protest.
Although the police had already set up barricades, a tense atmosphere was created.
Allegedly, some angry BLOS threw shoes at the Leader of the Opposition and started insulting him by calling him by name.
The protesters alleged that the Leader of the Opposition was misleading the Election Commission of India (ECI), which was causing harassment to electoral poll workers such as the BLOS.
Eyewitnesses said that several shoes were also seen flying in the air.
Due to the incident, a situation of extreme chaos was created in front of the state CEO's office.
The police brought the situation under control and further strengthened the security cordon.
Although the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal have not been officially announced yet, tension is gradually increasing in Bengal politics over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Speaking to media persons after meeting the West Bengal CEO, the Leader of the Opposition, Adhikari, criticised the police for failing to control the situation.
"If this is the situation in Kolkata, especially in a place near Raj Bhavan and the West Bengal Assembly, then imagine the law and order situation in districts across West Bengal. The police have become an extension of the Trinamool Congress here. They (state police) are deliberately allowing the BLOS to continue their protest outside the state CEO office and create disturbance," the Leader of the Opposition said.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition, Adhikari, also filed a complaint with the West Bengal CEO, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, regarding several matters.
He alleged that the Nadia District Magistrate, Aneesh Dasgupta, has been attempting to include the names of illegal immigrants in the state's voter list.
He also asked how could the former state Chief Secretary, Manoj Pant, be present in the meeting of Election Commission officials at the Calcutta High Court on Monday.