Chaos in Farakka: 30 BLOs quit, BDO office vandalised
Times of India | 15 January 2026
Behrampore: Several BLOs gathered at the Farakka BDO office on Wednesday morning and staged a protest, demanding to be relieved of their duties, citing their inability to comply with ECI instructions, which they said were changing by the hour.
According to administrative sources, 30 BLOs submitted a mass resignation letter to the BDO office, addressed to the electoral registration officer. Farakka BDO, Junaid Ahmed did not respond to repeated calls or WhatsApp messages seeking comment.
Syd Taj Islam, a BLO, said, "We already became unpopular with locals after issuing repeated hearing notices. Voters are being harassed, and we are overloaded and unable to continue any more. So, we jointly submitted our resignation."
Another BLO, Mir Nazir Ali, said, "As primary teachers, we are not very tech-savvy. At first, the ECI instructed that no documents were required to be collected or submitted. Now, after discrepancies, we were advised to submit all documents and verify the originals. The number of voters called for hearings is increasing, and after completing school duties, it is impossible to continue such a hectic job for the ECI."
Later in the day, tension gripped the Farakka BDO office campus when agitated voters entered the hearing camp and ransacked it. The incident occurred in the presence of local Trinamool MLA Manirul Islam. A large police force rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, though the hearing process was suspended for over two hours.
Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal sought a report from the district election officer of Murshidabad on the incident. Farakka BDO Biswajit Chakraborty said he had informed higher authorities about the matter and added that he could not comment further until receiving subsequent instructions. The BDO lodged an FIR against unknown persons, but it did not name Islam or his aides, who were present at the time.
In the complaint, the BDO stated that the attack took place in the presence of micro-observers. Two persons were arrested in connection with the incident.
Trinamool MLA Manirul Islam said, "I received information that in the name of hearings, a section started creating a Hindu-Muslim divide. I tried to pacify the situation. Trinamool is not responsible for today's incident. But if you ask, I support the agitators. It is a spontaneous agitation."
BJP MLA from Murshidabad, Gauri Shankar Ghosh, condemned the incident, saying, "TMC is performing a drama to mislead the people. In most places, BDOs are working according to the instructions of TMC. To divert attention from that, TMC is staging a new drama."