Raiganj: Protesting against the alleged deletion of names from the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, residents of Ranahatta village under Hemtabad in Uttar Dinajpur district staged a road blockade on the Raiganj–Balurghat State Highway at Bangabari More on
Thursday morning.
The agitation led to severe traffic congestion, with a large number of vehicles stranded on both sides of the road. Commuters faced considerable inconvenience as movement came to a halt for hours. Political leaders and supporters travelling towards Raiganj for filing nominations also encountered disruptions due to the blockade.
The protesters alleged that a significant number of genuine voters were excluded from the electoral roll despite submitting the necessary documents during the verification process. Similar protests had also been reported earlier in the area over the same issue on Wednesday, indicating growing resentment among residents. Biswajit Dutta, BDO Hemtabad and police officials of Hemtabad police station, along with the central force, reached the spot. The protesters later withdrew the blockade and normal traffic movement resumed.
Mojibur Rahaman, a resident of the village, claimed that out of nearly 1200 voters in the Ranahatta FP School booth, the names of around 152 individuals, including long-time residents, have been deleted.
“We submitted documents twice during hearings, yet our names were removed. We demand immediate inclusion, or we will launch a larger movement,” he said.