North Dinajpur on Thursday witnessed massive violence linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with Chakulia block turning into a flashpoint amid allegations of harassment during SIR hearings. The incident prompted strong action from the Election Commission, which ordered the immediate filing of an FIR and the arrest of those involved in what it described as an organised attack on the police and administration.
According to local sources, residents began blocking the state highway near the BDO office in the Kahata area of Chakulia early Thursday morning, protesting repeated summons issued to voters in the name of SIR hearings. Protesters alleged that ordinary people were being harassed by being called multiple times to the BDO office over alleged legal discrepancies in voter documents.
When police from the Islampur police station reached the spot to clear the blockade, the situation escalated rapidly. Protesters allegedly turned violent, hurling bricks at the police. The officer-in-charge (IC) of the Islampur police station sustained a head injury in the attack.
Eyewitnesses said the police were initially outnumbered against the agitated crowd, forcing authorities to seek reinforcements from Raiganj and several nearby police stations. A large contingent of police was later deployed, bringing the situation partially under control.
Protesters are also accused of extensively vandalising the BDO office. Office furniture was damaged, important documents were allegedly destroyed, and tree trunks were placed on the road to reinforce the blockade. There were also reports that one vehicle was set ablaze and that fire engines were being obstructed while responding to the incident.
Similar protests were reported from Behria and Shirsi Bhuidhar areas, where residents raised identical demands for the immediate withdrawal of fresh SIR hearing notices. It remains unclear whether Thursday’s agitation was organised by any political party.
Taking a stern view of the Chakulia violence, the Election Commission directed the District Magistrate and District Election Officer (DEO) of Uttar Dinajpur to immediately register an FIR and identify those responsible for the attacks on police personnel and administrative offices. The Commission also sought a detailed report on the incident and instructed authorities to identify the attackers using CCTV footage.
The Commission expressed serious concern that crucial documents related to the SIR process may have been destroyed during the vandalism. It stated that while objections to the electoral revision process could be raised through legal and institutional mechanisms, taking the law into one’s own hands would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
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