The BDO office at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. Photo for representation: Amitesh Gayen/Google Maps
Violent protests continued in different parts of West Bengal over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with local residents attacking the Block Development Offices (BDOs) where SIR hearings are being held.
The BDO offices at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district and at Basanti in South 24 Parganas district both came under attack. A mob was seen vandalising office furniture and burning tyres in front of the BDO office at Basanti. Large groups of people also blocked roads with burning tyres at multiple locations, including at Maheshtala and Dholahat in South 24 Parganas, Polba in Hooghly, and Barasat in North 24 Parganas.
The Sandeshkhali Block Development Officer Sayantan Sen said that furniture and computers were vandalised and officials were threatened by criminal elements in the mob. However, he added that while SIR hearings were disrupted, they later resumed.
‘SIR should be transparent’
The protests erupted a day after the Supreme Court observed that the SIR in West Bengal should be transparent and not cause inconvenience. The court also directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to display the names of voters whose SIR forms were found to have “logical discrepancies” at gram panchayat bhavans and block offices, where documents and objections are to be submitted.
This is not the first time that BDO offices have been attacked during the ongoing SIR in the State, with the offices at Farakka in Murshidabad district and Chakulia in Uttar Dinjapur district facing earlier attacks by angry mobs.
Claims and objections
On Monday (January 19, 2026), supporters of the BJP and the Trinamool Congress came face to face over the submission of Form 7, which is used to object to the inclusion of a voter’’ name or seek the deletion of a name from the electoral roll. The TMC supporters were seen setting large numbers of Form 7 copies on fire. The BJP has sought an extension of time to submit claims before the ECI.
On Tuesday (January 20, 2026), Congress supporters held protests outside the office of State’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Kolkata.
‘Unleashing anarchy’
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said that the Trinamool Congress is unleashing “anarchy” across the State in the name of SIR protests. The BJP leader noted that this is not the first time that an SIR has been held across the country; in fact, it has previously been held eight times, he said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written five letters to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on the SIR. In her fifth letter dated January 12, she had pointed out that many genuine voters are being wrongly categorised as “logical discrepancies” .
After the first phase of the SIR, about 58 lakh names were deleted in West Bengal, bringing the number of electors in the State down to 7.08 crore from 7.66 crore. The ECI has also appointed 12 senior Central officers as special roll observers to oversee the SIR in the State.
Published – January 20, 2026 10:43 pm IST
