Kolkata, 02 April (H.S.) : The Election Commission has taken a serious view of the protests in Malda district of West Bengal over alleged deletion of names from the voter list ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The Commission has sought a detailed report on the incident from state Director General of Police Siddhanath Gupta. Sources said the matter has also been communicated to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Sujoy Pal.
Tension prevailed in several areas of Malda, including Mothabari and Sujapur, on Wednesday as protests erupted over the removal of names from the electoral rolls. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets and blocked the Kolkata–Siliguri National Highway 12. Demonstrations were also held outside the Kaliachak-II block office.
At the time of the protests, seven judicial officers engaged in the SIR exercise were present inside the block office and were allegedly confined by the demonstrators. The officials remained inside from about 4 pm until midnight before being rescued by police.
There were also allegations that attempts were made to attack police vehicles while the judicial officers were being escorted to safety. Visuals from the spot reportedly showed broken glass inside one of the vehicles. Protesters, however, alleged that police resorted to baton charge during the rescue operation. They also claimed that a protester was injured after being hit by a vehicle in the convoy transporting the officials. The injured person is currently undergoing treatment.
According to the protesters, several names were removed from the voter list despite the individuals possessing valid documents, which triggered the demonstrations and road blockade.
By Thursday morning, police had cleared most of the blockades in the district and traffic movement on National Highway 12 returned to normal. Police pickets have been deployed in sensitive areas and central forces are conducting patrols.
However, protesters have warned of fresh demonstrations if their names are not restored to the electoral rolls. Against this backdrop, the Election Commission has sought a report from the state’s top police official on the incident.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
