Bengal: 7 judicial officers held hostage over mass voter deletions
What's the story
Seven judicial officers, including three women, were gheraoed and held hostage by villagers in Kaliachak, Malda district, in West Bengal on Wednesday. The incident was a part of widespread protests against mass deletions of names from the electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The protesters had blocked national highways, state highways and key rural roads in at least five Assembly constituencies, the Telegraph India reported.
Hostage situation
Hostage situation
The seven judicial officers were held hostage for over nine hours as protesters demanded their names be included in the electoral rolls. "Seven judicial officers, including three women, remain gheraoed by protesters at Kaliachak II. No one is coming to rescue them despite complaints to Calcutta High Court and the local administration," said an employee of the Malda district court late Wednesday night.
Rescue operation
HC sought immediate assistance for their rescue
The Calcutta High Court was informed about the hostage situation and sought immediate assistance for their rescue. Police and central forces were deployed to free the officers, who were released around 1:00am on Thursday. However, as they were being rescued, protesters allegedly attacked their convoy by setting fires on roads and pelting stones at vehicles. They blocked national and state highways, as well as crucial rural roads in Malda's Muslim-majority areas, to protest the "large-scale deletion" of names.
Protest details
Protests spread across Malda district
In Englishbazar, over 500 residents of Amrity gram panchayat blocked the Malda-Manikchak state highway, disrupting traffic for hours. Similarly, around 1,000 residents of Sujapur blocked National Highway 12 demanding their names be included in the voter list. The Malda district has a 52% Muslim population. The Telegraph India, citing sources, said that more than 1.34 lakh of Sujapur's 2.51 lakh voters, nearly 90% of whom are minorities, were placed under adjudication. Supplementary listings further showed many names had been removed.
Aftermath
Unrest triggered by mass deletions of names
The unrest was triggered by mass deletions of names from electoral rolls during SIR, with approximately 60 lakh names marked "under adjudication." Around 79,000 and 68,000 voters were marked for adjudication in Mothabari and Baishnabanagar, respectively, but when the additional lists were published, 30 to 50% names had been removed. Congress MP Isha Khan Choudhury said many of the 37,000-plus voters in Englishbazar and 65,000-plus in Manikchak who were placed under adjudication did not find their names on supplementary lists.