West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would move court against what she termed the “inhumane” conduct of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, alleging that the exercise had triggered fear, harassment and administrative arbitrariness, leading to deaths and hospitalisations.
Addressing a public meeting in Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district, Mamata claimed the voter list revision had ceased to be a routine administrative process and had instead become a source of anxiety for people ahead of the assembly elections. She alleged that names were being “arbitrarily struck off” electoral rolls without valid reasons.
“We are moving court tomorrow against the inhumane treatment and the death of so many people due to the SIR,” she said.
The chief minister further stated that she was prepared to approach the highest court if necessary.
“If allowed, I will also move the Supreme Court and plead as a common person against this inhumane exercise. I am also a trained lawyer,” she said.
Banerjee also accused authorities of subjecting vulnerable sections of society to undue hardship, claiming that terminally ill patients and elderly citizens were being forced to stand in long queues to establish their identity as voters.
“How would BJP leaders feel if someone made their old parents stand in line to prove their identity,” she asked.
Reiterating her allegations, Banerjee claimed, “Since the SIR began, so many people have died due to fear, and several others are in hospital.”
The chief minister on Monday laid the foundation stone for a nearly 5-km-long bridge over the Muriganga river to connect Sagar Island, where the annual Gangasagar Mela is held.
The Rs 1,670-crore bridge, named the 'Gangasagar Setu', will provide all-weather road connectivity to Sagar Island, located at the confluence of the Hooghly river and the Bay of Bengal.
Lakhs of pilgrims from across the country visit the island in the South 24 Parganas district every year to take a dip at the confluence and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni temple on Makar Sankranti on January 14.
At the programme, documents were ceremonially exchanged between the West Bengal government and Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T), which has been awarded the contract for the construction, in the presence of the chief minister.
The bridge is expected to be completed within two years, officials said.
At present, Sagar Island is accessible only by ferry services, which often become bottlenecks during the annual Gangasagar Mela due to heavy pilgrim inflow and tidal conditions.