Clashes, protests in districts over SIR form submission
Times of India | 21 January 2026
Hooghly/Bankura: Tension continued over the submission of Form 7 across Bengal districts on Tuesday as Trinamool and BJP workers blocked roads and staged protests.
The violence prompted Trinamool to appeal to people not to be "provoked". "The anger and frustration is understandable. But the fight has to be fought in courtrooms and on EVMs. CM Mamata Banerjee is fighting for you. Do not fall for provocation," said party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday accused Trinamool of unleashing "statewide anarchy" to derail the SIR exercise.
At Mogra in Hooghly, BJP workers blocked GT Road and demanded they be given an opportunity to submit Form 7 in the presence of the central security force. A day earlier, tension broke out inside the BDO office at Mogra when Trinamool workers allegedly chased away BJP supporters and when they had gone there with nearly 2,000 forms. The BJP alleged Trinamool's zilla parishad member Manas Majumdar entered the BDO office with his aides and intimidated the BLOs there but Trinamool denied the charge.
Trinamool workers, too, staged road blocks at Alinagar, Rajhat and Polba under the Chinsurah Assembly. On Monday, Trinamool's Chinsurah MLA Asit Majumdar, accompanied by party workers, allegedly stopped BJP workers from submitting forms. The BJP alleged forms were destroyed in the scuffle.
Tension was reported from Bankura, too, where BJP workers alleged non-cooperation by the district administration, that they were not allowed to submit Form 7 despite them waiting outside the sub-divisional office the entire night.
In Howrah, Trinamool workers allegedly snatched Form 7 from BJP workers and destroyed them. While clashes erupted, police intervened to bring the situation under control.
Later at night, Trinamool workers staged protests, alleging names of genuine voters were being deleted.