Kolkata, 20 February (H.S.) :

A controversy has erupted in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with several individuals lodging complaints against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alleging harassment.

According to a senior police officer, seven people, accompanied by Canning Purba MLA Saokat Molla, submitted written complaints at Jibantala police station on Friday. The complainants alleged that they were subjected to improper treatment during the electoral roll revision process.

“We have received seven complaints regarding alleged harassment during the Special Intensive Revision. All the cases will be examined,” the officer said in the evening.

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Claim of Recommendation to Delete 33,000 Names

MLA Saokat Molla claimed that nearly 33,000 names had been recommended for deletion in his assembly constituency over the past three days. He alleged that the move was aimed at disenfranchising genuine voters.

“Many of those affected possess valid documents and have already appeared for hearings. Despite that, their names are being processed for deletion,” Molla said.

He further alleged that a majority of the names proposed for deletion belong to members of the minority community and accused the Chief Election Commissioner of acting in a partisan manner.

Meanwhile, a local leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party questioned the basis of the allegations, stating that no official list of deletions had been published. He also remarked that filing a First Information Report directly against the head of the Election Commission of India is not legally permissible.

Police have initiated a preliminary inquiry into the complaints, and further action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh