Raiganj: The name of an 85-year-old, Bisheswar Hawladar, a resident of Sreekrishnapur under Islampur Police Station in North Dinajpur district, has gone missing from the recently-prepared voter list. The elderly man has alleged that his neighbour, Kanai Hawladar, who had migrated from Bangladesh a few years ago, played a trick to remove his name and replace it with
that of his father.
The matter came to light after the Booth Level Officer (BLO) refused to issue Bisheswar an enumeration form during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) programme, saying his name was missing from the current voter list. Shocked and worried, Bisheswar lodged a formal complaint with the Islampur Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), seeking immediate restoration of his name and legal action against the accused.
Recounting the incident, Bisheswar said: “About two years ago, Kanai came to my house when I was alone and requested to see my Aadhaar card. Though I refused several times, I eventually showed it to him. He took a photo of it on his mobile. Later, my name vanished from the voter list, and his father’s name appeared in my place. The names of my other family members remain unchanged. We suspect a racket behind this manipulation.”
When contacted, Kanai was not at home. His wife, Rips Hawladar denied the charge and said: “We came to India a few years ago after facing torture in Bangladesh. My husband has done nothing wrong. The mistake must have been made by those preparing the voter list.”
Ranjan Das, the BLO of Sreekrishnapur booth, confirmed: “The enumeration form of Bisheswar Hawladar was not issued as his name is missing from the latest voter list.”
Ankita Agarwal, SDO of Islampur, said: “We have received a complaint from Bisheswar Hawladar alleging that his name was deleted and replaced by another. The matter is under proper verification.”