KOLKATA: Seven judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were rescued after protesters gheraoed them for several hours in West Bengal's Malda district over the deletion of names from the electoral rolls, officials said on Thursday.
Security forces used batons to disperse the crowd and rescued the judicial officers, including three women, late at night on Wednesday.
Alleging large-scale removal of names of voters in the SIR process, the protesters also blocked National Highway 12 (Kolkata-Siliguri) on Wednesday.
The judicial officers including three women, were at the Kaliachak 2 Block Development Office which was gheraoed by the protesters around 4 pm.
A large contingent of security forces rescued them after midnight, officials said.
The judicial officials were brought out of the BDO office, even as protesters attempted to block their vehicles by placing bamboo poles on the road and tried to vandalise the cars, the officer said.
The police used batons to disperse the crowd during the rescue operation, an officer said.
"A group of agitators tried to stop the vehicles carrying the judicial officers and also attempted to damage them. Our personnel had to use mild force to ensure their safe evacuation," the officer said.
There were also allegations that a few protesters were injured after being hit by vehicles during the commotion. However, it was yet to be confirmed.
As per directions of the Supreme Court, judicial officers are currently examining cases of voters whose names were marked "under adjudication" in the electoral rolls published on February 28 to determine whether they should be retained or deleted.
According to officials, the protesters had initially sought a meeting with the judicial officers. After being denied entry, they began a demonstration and gheraoed the premises.
Even after the rescue, the blockade on National Highway 12 continued. The situation eased only after an Additional District Magistrate reached the spot late at night and assured them that the names of eligible voters would be included in the rolls within four days.
Following the assurance, the protesters withdrew the blockade, the officer added.
The Election Commission has sought a report on the incident from the Director General of Police (DGP), a senior EC official said.
West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and 29, with counting scheduled on May 4.