Cooch Behar: A BJP leader has been accused of demanding Rs 5,000 per person in exchange for adding names to the voter list under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The allegation, made by North Bengal Development minister Udayan Guha on social media on Monday, has triggered controversy in Dinhata.
According to Guha’s post, the accused, identified as Shyamal Das, a resident of Bamanhat, was allegedly caught by locals in Kishamata Das village while taking money with the promise of adding names to the voter list. Guha shared Das’s photograph on his social media page and wrote: “Recognise this gem. His name is Shyamal Das, a resident of Bamanhat and a leader of the world’s largest political party. Today, he was caught in Kishamata Das village while promising to add names to the voter list for ₹5,000. Locals caught him, treated him with some kindness, and handed him over to the police. It is also heard that he is involved in the trade of banned substances.”
The minister also posted another photo showing Shyamal Das alongside former Union minister and current BJP MP Nishith Pramanik. Without naming him directly, Guha alleged that the accused is “very close” to the MP. “This person’s Facebook profile picture is with him. No one without a close connection could have such a photo,” Guha claimed. Guha further stated that Das used to visit the Dinhata Kishamata Dasgram Paka More area, prepare lists of people whose names were missing from the 2002 voter list and demand Rs 5,000 from each to include them. “When locals came to know, they caught him and handed him to the police,” the minister said, adding that the accused should also be investigated for alleged involvement in narcotics trade.
However, BJP Cooch Behar District Vice President Biraj Bose dismissed the charges, saying: “All SIR work is supervised by the Election Commission. Shyamal Das has been falsely implicated by Trinamool Congress workers. The allegations are baseless.” Police have arrested Shyamal Das in connection with the incident.