West Bengal SIR Protest Live Updates: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has become the most prominent and contentious issue ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election. As polling draws nearer, political tensions in the state are steadily rising, with fresh developments emerging almost every day.
On Thursday morning, members of the Muslim community in the Malda district, whose names were excluded from the voter list, staged a protest by blocking National Highway 12.
A large deployment of police personnel from Malda Police Station, along with central forces, was made at the site. The situation at the protest location remained tense. The agitation was directed at the Election Commission, with protesters alleging that members of the Muslim community were selectively removed from the voter list.
The state's electoral rolls, the list of eligible voters, have been revised under orders from the Election Commission of India through the Special Intensive Revision exercise, a process that the Trinamool Congress and other opposition parties have described as an attempt to remove voters sympathetic to them.
Here Are the West Bengal SIR Protest Live Updates:
BJP MP Slams Trinamool Over Judicial Officers' Confinement
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj lashed out at the Trinamool Congress over the confinement of seven judicial officers in West Bengal's Malda district during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and asserted that SIR is not a political exercise but a constitutional necessity.
Swaraj said a very serious incident took place on Wednesday in which "democracy was crushed".
"The Supreme Court has taken cognisance of the matter. It has given the observation that there was a complete breakdown of law and order in West Bengal. I urge the central government that such anarchy is not acceptable in West Bengal," the BJP MP from New Delhi said.
Bengal SIR Live: 47 Lakh Objections Disposed Of Till March 31
The chief justice of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that around 47 lakh out of the 60 lakh objections in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal have been disposed of till March 31.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi said they have received a letter from the chief justice of the high court on Tuesday.
"We are quite happy and very optimistic about the facts and figures," the CJI said.
The CJI said the high court chief justice has informed that around 1.75 lakh to 2 lakh objections are being dealt with everyday.
The apex court also said the chief justice of the high court has apprised that by April 7, all objections will be decided.
(PTI)
Bengal SIR Live: "No One Told Me": Mamata Banerjee On Hostage Incident After Top Court's Rap
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she did not know seven judicial officers had been held hostage overnight in Malda district. The Trinamool Congress leader complained she no longer felt in control of the state machinery after the Election Commission enforced top-level changes in the administration ahead of this month's Assembly poll.
Bengal SIR Live: "Was Monitoring Till 2 AM": Chief Justice Raps Bengal Over Hostage Incident
The shocking incident in West Bengal, where seven judicial officers were held hostage by people upset because their names were deleted from the voter list, challenges the authority of the Supreme Court and appears to be "calculated and motivated", Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said today. The court also remarked that Bengal is the "most polarised state".
