BALURGHAT: Tension flared up at the Kumarganj Block office premises in South Dinajpur on Saturday evening following an alleged attack on a micro-observer at an SIR hearing camp.
According to sources, the hearing camp was being held at the ICDS office adjacent to the Kumarganj Block office. Voters from booths number 123, 124 and 125 under the Jakhirpur gram panchayat were summoned for hearings in connection with discrepancies in electoral records.
The camp was functioning smoothly since morning. However, the situation took a violent turn towards the evening.
Allegations surfaced that the documents of over 200 voters were marked as “not matching” during the hearing, triggering resentment among those present. Enraged over the decision, hundreds of people reportedly began protesting inside the hearing venue. In the midst of the chaos, miscreants allegedly assaulted micro-observer Dibyendu Garai and another official, Dilip Lakra, inside the room.
Garai is an employee of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), while Lakra works with the Agriculture department. The assault left Garai injured. Sources claimed that the Block Development Officer (BDO) personally intervened, rescued the injured officials and took them to his chamber for safety.
To bring the situation under control, a large contingent of police and RAF personnel was deployed at the block office premises. Later, additional police forces arrived from Balurghat, following which the micro-observer was safely escorted out of the area. Even as the situation was being brought under control, around 400 people continued protesting outside the BDO’s office.
BJP district secretary Rajat Ghosh alleged that the administration was trying to suppress the incident and accused Trinamool Congress supporters of orchestrating the attack. He claimed that BJP would launch protests over the incident.
Union minister of state for Education and Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar also condemned the incident on social media, demanding immediate arrest and strict punishment of those responsible.
However, the Trinamool Congress waved off the allegations as baseless. Party district member Subhas Chaki said that there had been long-standing complaints against Dibyendu Garai for alleged misbehaviour with the public and claimed that no physical assault had taken place. He termed the BJP’s allegations as baseless.
Meanwhile, district police have initiated an investigation. South Dinajpur Superintendent of Police Chinmay Mittal said: “All aspects of the incident are being examined. An investigation is underway.”