Siliguri, 02nd March: The CPI(M) Darjeeling district committee staged a protest in front of the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Officer’s office on Monday over the deletion of several voters’ names during the SIR process.
Party leaders claimed that many valid voters have been affected by the exercise. They pointed out that the name of Indian women’s cricket team member Richa Ghosh has been kept under review. CPI(M) workers and supporters took out a rally to the SDO office, staged a road blockade and later submitted a memorandum.
Councillor Saradindu Chakraborty said that common people are facing unnecessary harassment while submitting documents related to the SIR process. He termed the exclusion of names a “planned conspiracy” and urged the Election Commission to examine the matter impartially without political influence. He also questioned how the name of an international-level cricketer like Richa Ghosh could remain under review.
Darjeeling district CPI(M) secretary Saman Pathak stated that the names of Left councillor Munshi Nurul Islam and Richa Ghosh have been kept under review. He added that the Election Commission should handle such sensitive matters with greater caution and said the protest programme was organised in response to these concerns.