West Bengal BDO Office Ransacked in Mob Violence, 19 Arrested
Tension gripped Uttar Dinajpur district in West Bengal on Friday. This followed a violent mob attack on the Block Development Office in Chakulia's Goalpokhar area. Around 300 people stormed the office on Thursday, protesting against Special Intensive Revision hearings.
The mob left a trail of destruction. They injured at least six police personnel during the rampage. Outside the BDO office, burnt SIR enumeration forms and applications for government schemes like Kanyashree littered the ground. Broken computers lay scattered around the premises.
Inside the Ransacked Office
Inside the building, the scene was chaotic. Rooms showed signs of extensive vandalism with charred walls and shattered window panes. A bust of Mahatma Gandhi, installed just two years ago, stood headless in the compound.
Ratan Shaw, a staff member at the BDO office, described the terrifying sequence of events. "The unruly mob attacked around 9:30 am," he said. "They first targeted police forces before entering the premises. They systematically ransacked multiple departments including the Rupasree-Kanyasree office, welfare section, and pension scheme office."
Shaw confirmed the mob set fire to documents, computers, and other equipment. "We lost over four to five hundred domicile certificates in the fire," he added. Police managed to bring the situation under control only around noon when the Superintendent of Police arrived with additional force.
Local Businesses Caught in Crossfire
The violence affected local businesses operating within the BDO complex. Taraknath Das, who has run a canteen there since 1995, expressed shock. "I have never seen such an incident here before," he said. "They destroyed our canteen too."
His assistant, Kalpana Das, questioned the logic behind attacking their establishment. "Why target the canteen? What connection does it have with SIR?" she asked. "Our tables, chairs, and utensils are all broken now. We don't know how we will continue our business."
Police Make Multiple Arrests
Police have arrested nineteen people in connection with the violence. Fifteen face charges related to the mob attack, including a local TMC panchayat official. A local court in Islampur sent three of them to six days of police custody while the remaining twelve went to judicial custody.
In a separate case, police arrested four more individuals based on an FIR filed by the local TMC president. The court sent all four to three days of police custody.
However, families of some arrested individuals denied their involvement. Khaleda Begum, wife of Abdul Moziz, claimed her husband was with her at her paternal home during the violence. "Police lifted him on Thursday night," she said. "He has no link with this incident."
Osman Ali, father of Noor Mohammed, offered a similar account. "My son returned from a Jalsa on Thursday night," he stated. "Police took him while he was unloading goods at his shop. He wasn't even present during the mob violence."
SIR Hearings Remain Uncertain
Outside the damaged BDO office, confusion prevailed over the SIR hearings. The Election Commission had issued notices to electors as part of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Many had traveled significant distances with their documents.
Chandan Singh came from Balsarpur village, 7.5 kilometers away, with his sister-in-law Alo Devi. "Her name wasn't in the 2002 SIR list," he explained. "We came with the domicile certificate for the hearing, but it's not happening today."
Subodh Biswas faced a similar situation after traveling 14 kilometers from Sehar village. "My wife's name was missing from the 2002 list," he said. "I brought her father's land documents, but I'll probably have to return another day."
The Election Commission has deleted over 58 lakh names from the draft electoral roll. They have issued notices to more than 78 lakh electors for verification hearings.
Fresh Protests Erupt
Late on Friday, new protests emerged in the Sujali area of Islampur block, approximately 20 kilometers from the Goalpokhar BDO office. Protesters blocked the state highway, continuing their demonstration against the SIR exercise.
Local officials remained cautious. BDO Sujay Dhar and SDO Ankita Aggarwal, who were present during the violence, chose not to comment on the incident. The birth and death section of the office reportedly suffered the most damage during the attack.
Armed police and Rapid Action Force personnel maintained a strong presence around the BDO office on Friday. They monitored the situation closely as officials continued issuing domicile certificates from one corner of the building.
The future of SIR hearings at this location remains uncertain as authorities assess the damage and investigate the violence that disrupted this essential administrative process.
