KOLKATA: BJP’s Jangipur unit has lodged the FIR against TMC MLA from Farakka, Manirul Islam, on charge of preventing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and damaging government properties at the office of local block development officer (BDO) when hearings of the SIR exercise were held on 14 January.
Subal Chandra Ghosh, organisational chairman of the party in Jangipur said, “Manirul being a people’s representative tried to disrupt the electoral rolls revision process using his political influence and entered the BDO office. This can’t be tolerated at a time when the DEO is silent to act on the Commission’s directive against the MLA.”
Slamming the state administration Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, veteran Congress leader and former Bengal president of the party, told media, “It’s a serious matter to see how the police are still sitting silent violating the Election Commission’s directive to lodge an FIR against the MLA. It shows the deteriorating law and order situation Bengal.”
While reacting to FIR lodged against him by the opposition BJP, “No matter, if I am sent to the jail for fighting for the people. The Commission and the BJP are not a separate body. The Commission works as the spokesperson of the saffron party.”
The ECI on Thursday had directed the district magistrate (DM) as well as the DEO to lodge an FIR against Manirul by 5 pm same day on charge of allegedly leading vandalism inside the office of the BDO of Farakka during hearings of the ongoing SIR process in the state.
The Commission had also asked the DEO to submit an action-taken-report in connection with the FIR against the legislator by evening. While reacting to the ECI directive Manirul had told the media, “Law will take its own course.”
Anger over alleged harassment of voters because of the contentious SIR and the "bias" in the exercise itself had erupted at the Farakka BDO office about seven days ago. The BDO office had witnessed protests by around 100 booth-level officers (BLOs) who had submitted resignations protesting against the "arbitrary, frequently changing instructions" of the Commission that had made their work "unmanageable".
Amid the protests by these BLOs and some aggrieved residents in front of the BDO office, a group of Trinamool Congress supporters led by Manirul had stormed inside the building, which also houses a designated SIR hearing centre.
The violent ruling party men had damaged furniture and scattered files.
The unrest unfolded even as hearings to address logical discrepancies in voter data flagged by the EC continued, turning the electoral roll revision exercise into a growing test of public patience.
The Trinamool legislator had termed the process discriminatory. "Objections are being raised for Rahim but not for Ram. The EC cannot divide voters by religion," he said.
Farakka BDO Junaid Ahmed had filed a complaint for obstruction of work and damage to property. Murshidabad DM Nitin Singhania had ordered a departmental inquiry.