Woman BLO Detained During Voter List Protest In West Bengal

Even before the fallout from the Mothabari incident has faded, another serious allegation has surfaced from West Bengal. In North 24 Parganas Gaighata, protesters have been accused of holding back a woman Booth Level Officer, during a demonstration over the deletion of names from the voter list.

According to the complaint, Namita Das, the BLO of Booth No. 38 under the Gaighata Assembly constituency, was surrounded and stopped by protesters on Thursday while she was returning home after work. She then called the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer and informed officials about the situation. Police later reached the spot and rescued her. 

Tension gripped Pansira village under the Gaighata Assembly constituency after allegations emerged that several names had been removed from the voter list. Villagers allegedly stopped woman BLO Namita Das while she was on her way home after completing her work. Trapped in the middle of the protest, she contacted the AERO over the phone and explained the entire situation. AERO Sudipta Ghosh immediately informed the police, who then reached the area and freed the BLO.

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Fear Continues Even After Rescue

Even after being rescued, Namita Das said she continues to feel unsafe. Recounting the incident, she said a large crowd had gathered at a place called Amtala and accused her of taking money to delete votes. She also said people made several other allegations against her, including claims about her working for a political party. Feeling threatened, she contacted her office, after which police arrived, rescued her, and escorted her home. She said she is now suffering from insecurity and mental stress, and fears what could happen if she goes out in the field again.

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Protest Over Deletion of Names Among 872 Voters

The alleged incident took place at Booth No. 38 of the Gaighata Assembly constituency, which falls under Ichapur-II Gram Panchayat. Namita Das, who also works as an anganwadi worker, was reportedly surrounded by residents of Pansira village while returning from duty the other day. The protest was allegedly triggered by claims that many names had been deleted from the voter list out of a total of 872 voters. Namita said she had worked strictly according to the documents she received and followed the Election Commission’s instructions. Despite that, she was allegedly stopped by the protesters. A frightened Namita then contacted the AERO, following which police and central forces reached the spot and rescued her.