West Bengal: SIR protests spark chaos, roadblocks and vandalism across districts
Protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal have turned tense, with SDO offices ransacked and roads blocked in several districts like South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas.
Demonstrators say elderly voters are being unfairly targeted for "logical discrepancies" in their documents—sometimes just because of mismatches with old voter lists.
Some officials reportedly faced violence while trying to do their jobs.
Why should you care?
This unrest isn't just about paperwork—it's about who gets to vote.
There have been incidents of violence against EC officials, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party have objected to the SIR, writing to the Chief Election Commissioner and alleging the exercise could delete genuine voters.
With nearly 58 lakh names already dropped from the draft rolls, a lot of people worry they'll lose their right to vote before final lists come out next month.
For young people especially, it's a reminder that access to voting—and fair processes—really matters.