- Block development officer Bharati Chik Baraik was summoned for a special revision hearing
- The officer and her family were scrutinized for missing names in the 2002 electoral roll
- The opposition alleged the family had Bhutanese citizenship, which the family denied
A rare and controversial situation has emerged in West Bengal's Meteli under Matiali block, where the block development officer (BDO) of Lava block herself has been summoned for a special intensive revision (SIR) hearing. Lava block is in Kalimpong, near Darjeeling.
In an unusual sight, Lava BDO Bharati Chik Baraik was seen standing in the same queue as other citizens to attend the hearing, triggering widespread political and administrative debate in the area.
While BDOs across Bengal are entrusted with overseeing the SIR process, the summoning of a serving BDO for the same exercise has drawn sharp attention. According to sources, Bharati Chik Baraik, along with her father Kapil Chik Baraik, brother Pranab Chik Baraik and sister Arati Chik Baraik, were issued notices as their names reportedly did not appear in the 2002 electoral roll.
Bharati Chik Baraik has already appeared before the SIR authority. On Monday, her father, brother and sister also attended the hearing, sources said.
The issue has provided ammunition to Opposition parties, who have raised allegations of foreign citizenship. Opposition leaders have claimed that the BDO's parents were citizens of Bhutan, which, according to them, explains the absence of their names in the 2002 voter list.
These allegations have led to a series of questions being raised in political and administrative circles. How could a family allegedly linked to Bhutan produce a senior administrative officer in India, that too holding the post of executive magistrate? The matter has since become a subject of intense discussion.
However, the BDO's family has firmly denied all allegations. They have asserted that they are Indian citizens and long-time residents of Malbazar subdivision. According to family members, they earlier lived in the Juranti tea garden area and in 1999, bought land in Meteli Hospital Para locality, where they built a house. Their names were subsequently included in the voter list in 2004. The family claims that prior attempts to enroll in the voter list were unsuccessful.
Pranab Chik Baraik, brother of the Lava BDO, said the entire family is Indian. He also said they had earlier lived in Juranti Tea Garden and shifted to Meteli after buying land in 1999.
He reiterated that before their names were included in the voter list, several attempts had been made without success. He said their father had been employed at the Gomtu Bhutan-based Pendant Cement Factory, which may have contributed to complications in voter registration at that time.
He said Bharati Chik Baraik served in Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Nagrakata before her current posting, and that all siblings were educated in government and private schools in the region. According to him, the family has all the documents and evidence.
Reacting to the issue, BJP Jalpaiguri district general secretary Chandan Dutta said that without the SIR process, such matters would not have come to light.
He said that under Trinamool Congress patronage, several individuals from other countries entered West Bengal, enrolled as voters, and even contested elections. He alleged the issue extended to officials as well, including BDOs.
Referring to the Lava BDO, Dutta said neither her father's nor her own name appeared in the 2002 voter list, which is why she was summoned for the hearing along with three family members. He added that the Election Commission's action sent a clear message that the SIR process was being conducted impartially, without favouritism.
On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress district secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh accused the BJP and the Election Commission of harassing citizens. He said the issuance of a notice to a serving BDO demonstrated arbitrary functioning by the Election Commission.
Singh alleged that under pressure from the BJP, the Commission was attempting to reduce the number of Indian voters. He claimed that since the BJP had spoken about removing around 15 million names, even officials like BDOs were not being spared. He alleged notices were being sent to Trinamool workers and even police personnel, and questioned how public trust could be maintained if senior officers were treated in this manner. According to him, the entire issue was politically motivated.
With additional reporting by Roni Chowdhury.
