Chakulia: Protest over SIR hearing turns violent, 5 cops injured

Raiganj: Tension gripped parts of North Dinajpur district on Thursday after local residents, protesting alleged harassment during the hearing of the SIR of electoral rolls, blocked National Highway-27 at Kahata under Chakulia Police Station. The protest escalated into violence, leaving several people, including five policemen, injured. The Block office was also ransacked.

According to police sources, the situation escalated when protesters resisted attempts by the police to clear a blockade on the National Highway, triggering a scuffle in which five policemen were injured and taken to a nearby hospital.

In the aftermath, an angry mob allegedly stormed the office of the BDO of the Goalpokhar-II block, vandalising several adjoining offices linked to social welfare schemes and setting fire to furniture, causing extensive damage. A large police contingent, along with personnel from the RAF, was deployed to restore law and order, while senior officials rushed to the spot. An investigation into the violence has been initiated.

Sakib Akhtar, one of the protesting locals, alleged: “ Despite an earlier announcement by the ECI stating that individuals whose parents’ names appeared in the 2002 electoral roll would not be required to attend hearings, many such families were still being summoned. This is an attempt to intentionally delete our names. If the harassment does not stop, we will intensify our movement.”

Chakulia MLA Minhazul Arfin Azad echoed similar concerns and stated: “Around 69,000 residents were called for hearings in the second round. Most of them are daily wage labourers. They are being asked to submit hard-to-procure documents, forcing them to miss work. This harassment should be stopped immediately.”

Islampur Police District Superintendent Jobby Thomas confirmed that the situation is now under control and said: “Five policemen were injured while clearing the road blockade. Adequate police and RAF forces have been deployed to maintain law and order”.

Meanwhile, BJP workers staged dharnas in front of BDO offices in Hemtabad and Raiganj, alleging that BLOs were refusing to accept

Form No. 7.