The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday ordered the registration of an FIR against Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA from Farakka, Manirul Islam, in connection with the alleged vandalism of the Block Development Officer (BDO) office during protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. The directive came eight days after the incident, with the District Election Officer (DEO) of Murshidabad instructed to file the FIR and submit a compliance report by 5 pm on Thursday.
The incident originated from protests by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who alleged that citizens were being repeatedly asked to produce documents under the SIR hearing process, leading to harassment. Several BLOs reportedly approached the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) with mass resignation letters, citing pressure and anxiety linked to the revision exercise.
Tensions erupted when a group of protesters, led by Islam, entered the BDO office in Farakka. The MLA alleged that the verification of documents was biased against members of a particular community and claimed that his protest was aimed at safeguarding the interests of common people. However, allegations that the BDO office was vandalised in the presence of the MLA triggered a political storm.
Farakka BDO Biswajit Chakraborty said he had informed higher authorities in writing about the incident. He declined to comment further, stating that he was awaiting instructions from his superiors.
The issue also drew sharp reactions from the opposition. Murshidabad BJP MLA Gourishankar Ghosh strongly condemned the incident, accusing the TMC of staging a “drama” to mislead the public. He alleged that BDOs in many areas function under the influence of the ruling party and that such incidents were being orchestrated to divert attention from that reality.
Following the vandalism during the ongoing SIR hearings, the EC reportedly contacted the state’s Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar over the phone, instructing strict action. The spurces confirmed that eight people had already been arrested in connection with the incident.
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