SIR chaos: Hearings disrupted in Bengal; EC observer's car attacked

Kolkata: SIR hearings successful Bengal were disrupted successful Chinsurah and Midnapore connected Monday aft EC said booth-level agents (BLAs) would not beryllium allowed to beryllium contiguous during the proceedings, and an EC observer's conveyance came nether onslaught successful Mograhat, South 24 Parganas.Special rotation perceiver C Murugan, tasked with supervising SIR of rolls successful South 24 Parganas and Kolkata South LS constituencies, had gone to Mograhat for a tract sojourn erstwhile helium encountered protests. Protesters allegedly damaged the grip fastener of a doorway of the vehicle. EC has asked Murugan to taxable a elaborate study connected the incident.The flare-up followed EC's determination to debar BLAs from entering SIR hearings. Despite the protests, Murugan remained firm.

"I came to bash my occupation and I volition bash it. What bash I person to fear? I americium an IAS officer. I person travel present connected Election Commission's instructions. It is the administration's work to supply maine with security," Murugan said.Around the aforesaid time, akin protests broke retired successful Hooghly and Midnapore. In Hooghly's Chinsurah-Mogra artifact office, hearings were suspended aft TMC MLA Asit Mazumdar objected to the exclusion of BLAs. "Unless BLAs are allowed oregon officials springiness successful penning that they volition not beryllium allowed, we volition not let the hearings," Mazumdar told reporters. Following this, gates of artifact bureau were closed, preventing radical from entering.Later, aft a prod from EC, the DM reached the spot and ensured that hearings resumed.