Bengal: Cong submits memorandum to CEO, alleges irregularities and harassment through SIR hearing notices
Kolkata: The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, alleging serious irregularities and harassment of people regarding notices for hearings related to voter list revision.
On Wednesday, state Congress Vice-President Prashant Dutta and General Secretary Ashutosh Chatterjee jointly lodged the complaint, demanding an immediate investigation and necessary action.
At the same time, state Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar called for a protest outside the CEO office in Kolkata over their demands on January 20.
The Congress memorandum said that despite submitting the correct documents, many citizens are receiving hearing notices from the Election Commission, which they consider a form of deliberate harassment.
The complainants claimed that the entire hearing process is filled with technical errors. The notices often lack the correct date, time, or necessary information, causing confusion among the general public and forcing them to unnecessarily run around.
The Congress leadership alleged that this flawed and unplanned SIR process is increasing mental stress among citizens. Not only ordinary people, but also those involved in election-related work are facing pressure due to this.
They have demanded an immediate investigation into the entire process to identify those responsible and to take appropriate measures to prevent such problems in the future.
The memorandum further stated that West Bengal Pradesh Congress President Shubhankar Sarkar instructed that this complaint be filed in the interest of the general public. Following this instruction, the matter has been brought to the attention of the Election Commission.
The Congress leadership asserted that the Election Commission must intervene immediately to make the voter hearing process transparent and free from harassment. They are also demanding the Election Commission’s active role in ending the unnecessary suffering of the general public and promptly rectifying the technical glitches.