SIR: Property registrations halted for ‘under adjudication’ voters in Malda

Malda/Cooch Behar: A fresh controversy has erupted in Malda after property registration allegedly came to a halt at the District Sub-Registrar (DSR) office, with lawyers claiming that individuals whose names appear in the adjudication list of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls will not be allowed to register their properties from Friday.

According to local advocates, the DSR office has reportedly refused to register sale or purchase deeds of people whose names are under adjudication in the voter list. Lawyers alleged that no written order or circular from either the state or the centre has been shown to justify the move.

Advocate Anarul Hoque, who raised the issue through a social media live post, questioned the basis of the alleged directive. “We don’t know of any such order or circular based on which the officer is halting the registration process. This is another harassment for people under adjudication. When we demanded clarification, he could not show anything,” he said. Another protesting lawyer, Abdul Alim, said they had approached the district administration. “Without any legitimate answer from the officer, we went to the District Magistrate and informed her about the matter. She assured us that she would look into it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress has launched an indefinite sit-in protest in English Bazar, claiming that over 8.28 lakh voters in Malda have been placed under adjudication. Congress leader Mausam Noor said, “Genuine voters must not be removed from the list and those under adjudication must be reinstated.” Adding to the unrest, villagers in Kaligram of Chanchal staged a protest in a graveyard demanding confirmation of their citizenship from the Election Commission or to bury them alive.

On the other hand, residents of the Nagurhat area under Shalbari-1 Gram Panchayat in Tufanganj-II Block staged a protest on Thursday, alleging that several names had been left out of the (SIR) voter list. The protesters blocked the state road by burning tyres and raising slogans against the Election Commission.

According to locals, around 100 voters from the Shalbari-1 Gram Panchayat area found their names missing from the electoral roll, while nearly 700 others remain pending. Protesters claimed that many of them were born and brought up in the area and have been casting their votes. Cops from Boxirhat Police Station reached the spot and the blockade was lifted at around 1 pm after nearly two hours, following assurances from the police.