No entry, no meeting, no help desk: Cops on duty turn counsellors for SIR-hit voters in West Bengal

KOLKATA: Cops posted outside the tribunal office in Joka have turned counsellors for voters whose names have been knocked off during the SIR of electoral roll. Debarred entry into the campus of SPM-NIWAS where the tribunal authority is going through their appeals, these people are unable to speak with the officials. Absence of a help desk has prompted them to make a scramble to the cops' kiosk for seeking clarity on whether they will be allowed to vote in the upcoming assembly poll.

On Monday, cops addressed a series of their queries, including "will I be able to cast vote in this election", "has my appeal reached the tribunal", "when will the tribunal's decision be known" and "do I need to come here again to know if my name has been cleared".

Even though various tribunal-related questions keep coming from the anxious electors to the police personnel at the kiosk, the latter have "limited answers and knowledge" about what's going on inside.



"We have not had any guideline about how to deal with the electors sent to the tribunal's office either by their BLOs or other people, including neighbours or the agents of political parties who also visited their houses during the SIR enumeration phase. And these people don't know that unless summoned, none will be allowed inside. We're feeling bad because they are coming here in the scorching heat and some of them are travelling from distant places," said a cop.

When Beckbagan resident Md Naseer and Falta resident Sudam Koley sought police assistance outside the tribunal's office on Monday, cops asked them to come if they get a hearing notice from the tribunal. "As per the instruction given to us, only the attendees of summons will be allowed in. We heard that notices will be issued to those whose supporting documents for appeals are not satisfactory. We are telling everyone to come only if they receive summons," police said.

Naseer came on behalf of his octogenarian uncle Md Khaleed, whose name has been deleted. "His name is there on the 2002 SIR list, but it was not there in the electoral roll published on Feb 28. What is the reason behind this deletion? The officials did not meet as security guards shooed me away. I sought cops' help, but they also needed clarity on this matter," he said.

Behala resident Rakesh Shah and 10 members of his family faced SIR deletion but could not file an appeal. He came to the tribunal with documents, and cops guided him to file the appeal immediately.
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