Raiganj: Anxiety sparked in parts of North Dinajpur district on Wednesday after residents staged a road blockade at Kaludanga under Malgaon Gram Panchayat in Kaliyaganj, protesting the deletion of names from the adjudication list during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The agitators blocked the Kunor–Kaliyaganj State Highway for several hours, demanding immediate restoration of their names in the voter list. The protest caused severe traffic congestion, disrupting vehicular movement and leaving commuters stranded. A sense of anxiety and unrest gripped the area as the situation escalated.
Police, along with central forces, rushed to the spot after receiving information. The Block Development Officer (BDO) of Kaliyaganj also visited the site and held
discussions with the protesters. Following the discussion, the demonstrators withdrew the blockade.
Ajimul Sarkar, a protester, alleged that despite being a voter since 2002, his name had been removed. He claimed that out of 1,160 voters in the Kaludanga FP School booth, 417 were placed under adjudication and later 141 names were deleted. He further stated that most affected individuals belong to the minority community and are legal voters.
BDO Bidyut Barman Biswas said that inclusion of names is not within their direct authority and advised affected residents to apply online to the appropriate authority for redressal.