Bengal SIR on the boil as EC seeks criminal case against TMC MLA over vandalism

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday (January 22) escalated its confrontation with West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) by directing the filing of a criminal case against a legislator of the party over alleged vandalism at a government office during recent protests against the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise.

This comes a day after the poll panel issued a 72-hour deadline for action against state officials over alleged lapses in the SIR exercise.

EC goes after accused MLA

In its latest order issued to Murshidabad district authorities, the commission instructed the district magistrate, who also serves as the district election officer (DEO), to lodge a first information report (FIR) against Manirul Islam, the MLA from Farakka constituency in the same district, in connection with violence at the Farakka block development (BDO) office earlier this month.

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The EC said the directive must be complied with immediately, sources said.

“The commission has taken serious note of the incident at the Farakka BDO office and the failure to take appropriate action against the prime accused,” the order said, according to officials privy to the development.

“Any further delay or deviation will be viewed as wilful non-compliance.”

The directive is a clear escalation in the ongoing tussle between the commission and the TMC over the politically charged SIR of electoral rolls in the state.

On the afternoon of January 14, Islam, accompanied by party supporters, went to the Farakka BDO office amid protests by booth-level officers (BLOs) over the alleged harassment of electors during the SIR verification process, including repeated summons for hearings and demands for documents.

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Officials said the protest escalated when Islam and his supporters allegedly forced their way into the BDO office, asked voters beelining for the hearing to leave, and vandalised government property, including furniture and official records.

'Matter taken up at highest level'

“As soon as the incident was brought to the commission’s notice, the matter was taken up at the highest level,” a senior EC official said on condition of anonymity. “The matter was taken up directly with the state’s director general of police, and clear instructions were given that the law must take its course.”

An FIR was subsequently registered at the Farakka Police Station following what officials described as “strict directions” from the EC. However, Islam’s name did not figure in the complaint, even as the commission termed him the prime accused, ostensibly on the basis of video footage, eyewitness accounts, and administrative reports.

That omission prompted the commission’s latest order, directing the DM to personally lodge an FIR naming the MLA.

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“The commission cannot allow selective application of the law, especially in matters that affect the integrity of the electoral process,” the official said.

Islam hits back, calls it conspiracy

Islam has denied the allegations. “This is a politically motivated attempt to frame me,” he told reporters. “We were protesting peacefully against an unjust process that is troubling ordinary people.”

The Farakka incident grew out of protests from a section of BLOs, who alleged that the SIR exercise had placed them under intense pressure from both election authorities and the public.

Some BLOs claimed they were being blamed for repeatedly asking voters to produce documents to resolve discrepancies flagged in the rolls.

Groups of BLOs even submitted mass resignation letters citing what they described as “mental harassment”.

Bengal SIR heats up

The SIR exercise has identified more than 30 lakh ‘unmapped’ voters in West Bengal and flagged nearly 96 lakh entries for ‘logical discrepancies’, triggering protests amid allegations that the commission is pushing disenfranchisement.

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On January 19, even the Supreme Court intervened, directing the commission to ensure greater transparency, such as publicly displaying names of electorates flagged for logical discrepancies, and to reduce harassment of electors by holding hearings at accessible public locations and allowing political party agents or lawyers to represent them, if needed.

While agreeing to hold hearings at more convenient locations, the commission instructed the chief secretary, police chief, and district officials to ensure smooth proceedings at gram panchayat bhavans, block offices, and ward offices, cautioning that ‘strict action’ would be taken in case of any disruption, effectively placing the onus on the state administration for any deterioration of law and order or outburst of public anger.

EC, TMC on warpath

The FIR directive against Islam came a day after the EC gave the state government 72 hours to submit a report detailing steps taken against four state officials accused of failing to carry out its directives.

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The TMC accused the commission of exceeding its mandate.

“The Election Commission is acting in a partisan manner and penalising democratic protest,” said TMC leader Mukul Bairagya.

Such “democratic protests” are likely to increase further as TMC-leaning intellectuals earlier this week launched a new platform, ‘Desh Bachao Gana Mancha’, to mobilise the public against what they termed a politically motivated SIR exercise.

The platform has threatened vigorous peaceful mass movements, framing the issue as a fight to protect Bengali identity.

“We are planning a larger mass movement, both in West Bengal and in the national capital, New Delhi, against a ploy to disenfranchise genuine voters in the name of the SIR of electoral rolls,” said Matua religious leader Ranjit Bain, an invitee at the launch of the nascent platform.

As TMC-aligned groups take to the streets and the commission tightens its enforcement, the standoff over the SIR in Bengal is emerging as a broader test of institutional authority, with significant political and administrative consequences.