SIR woes continue on the last day of hearing in West Bengal

Even as the hearing for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls nears the end in West Bengal, the woes of people scrambling to appear for the last-minute hearing continue across the State. Saturday (February 7) marked the last day of hearing of notices issued under the category of “logical discrepancies”.

Long queues were seen outside hearing centres across the State, and stories of tragedies surfaced from some places. Mohammad Yasin Ansari, a High Madrasah teacher from Gazole in Malda, lost his wife and child on the way to a hearing centre in a road accident. However, he had to attend the hearing, leaving the bodies at a State-run hospital.

The Trinamool Congress highlighted the plight of the madrasah teacher in a social media post. “This incident exposes the true nature of the SIR process far more clearly than any statistic ever could. Mohammad Yasin Ansari was travelling with his family to comply with a SIR hearing when a highway accident killed his wife and nine-month-old child. Instead of sympathy or time to grieve, the system responded with harassment,” the ruling party posted on social media.

There have been reports of similar incidents during the SIR hearings, including at Howrah, where bereaved family members attended the hearing after the death of their kin in an accident.

Trinamool slams Election Commission for ‘indifference’

The Trinamool Congress also highlighted that mothers with newborns were made to stand in SIR queues for three to four hours after travelling long distances in Malda. “@ECISVEEP conducted this exercise: indifference instead of sensitivity, poor preparation instead of care, and a complete disregard for basic human needs,” the party posted on social media. Since the start of the SIR process, the Trinamool Congress, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has opposed the exercise and pointed out harassment of people in the name of SIR. Ms. Banerjee, who wrote several letters to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, herself argued before a Supreme Court Bench in person against the harassment of people.

Meanwhile, allegations of hooliganism at SIR hearing centres continued on the last day of the hearing. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday accused Trinamool supporters of hooliganism at a hearing centre in North 24 Parganas district.

“The terror and hooliganism of the Trinamool’s lumpen elements continue at the SIR (Summary Revision) hearing centres. Similar to Farakka and Chakulia, Trinamool miscreants have unleashed havoc inside the Baduria BDO office in North 24 Parganas district,” Mr. Adhikari said. The BJP leader said that “state government has deliberately thrown law and order to the winds so that Trinamool activists do not face any obstacles in their illegal activities of inserting bogus names into the voter list and protecting the interests of illegal voters.” Mr. Adhikari also alleged that signatures of micro-observers were forged to validate “doubtful” voters in some specific polling booths.

After the completion of the first phase of SIR, about 58 lakh names were deleted from the rolls in West Bengal, bringing the number of electors in the State to 7.08 crore from 7.66 crore. About 1.36 crore such notices of “logical discrepancies” have been issued. The final voter list is likely to be published by February 14. Elections in West Bengal are likely to be scheduled in the next few months.