Naxalbari, 26th February: Members of the minority community staged a protest at the Naxalbari BDO office, alleging selective removal of minority voters’ names from the electoral rolls. Protesters carried the national flag during the demonstration.
Sources said that although many of these voters’ names had been listed in 2002, a large number have now been marked as “under adjudication,” effectively removing several names from the rolls. The protesters claimed that this action was carried out in collusion with the Election Commission.
The minority community voters marched from Totaram in Naxalbari to the BDO office, blocking the state road as part of the protest. Later, the demonstrators met with representatives of the BDO office, after which the road blockade and protest were withdrawn.
Protester Mohammad Rehan questioned why voters had been marked as “under adjudication” following a logical discrepancy, expressing concerns over whether they would be able to vote in the upcoming assembly elections. He also stated that the community no longer fully trusts the judicial system.