Kolkata, 5 Aug (H.S.) –In a startling revelation, voter lists from the 2002 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for four West Bengal Assembly constituencies have gone missing from official state records. The missing lists pertain to Murarai, Rampurhat, and Raghunathganj in Birbhum district, and Kulpi in South 24 Parganas.

An official from the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office confirmed on Tuesday that these lists, prepared 23 years ago, were supposed to be preserved. If they cannot be located despite thorough searches, the 2003 preliminary voter lists will be released as an alternative.

State CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal has directed the district magistrates concerned to trace the missing documents at the earliest. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a detailed inquiry has already been initiated into the matter.

The last SIR in Bengal was conducted in 2002, a process the Election Commission had first rolled out in Bihar before extending it to other states. In West Bengal, voter lists for more than 100 Assembly constituencies across 11 districts have already been published, while the remaining lists are expected to be released within this week.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh