ECI team to visit Bengal to review SIR procedures: Official
Kolkata (PTI): A team from the Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to visit West Bengal from November 5 to 8 to review the rollout of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a senior official said on Monday.
The team, led by ECI Principal Secretary SB Joshi and Deputy Secretary Abhinav Agarwal, is likely to inspect the districts of Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri, he said.
"During the visit, they will evaluate how Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Returning Officers (ROs) are performing their duties, and may interact with political representatives. Officials of the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office will also be present during the inspection," the official told PTI.
The ECI team's visit is aimed at ensuring smooth, transparent, and secure implementation of the SIR programme ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, he added.
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Madhya Pradesh: BJP leader assaults blind woman in Church
Jabalpur: Anju Bhargava, vice-president of BJP's Jabalpur city unit, has come under sharp scrutiny, creating the ripples of political controvery in Madhya Pradesh, after a video surfaced online showing her physically assaulting a visually impaired woman inside a church.
The New Indian Express has reported that the said incident reportedly took place on Saturday (20 Dec) at a church in the Hawa Bagh area, which comes under the limits of Gorakhpur police station.
The video footage that has circulated widely on Monday shows Anju Bhargava, assaulting the blind woman in the presence of a police officer. In the video, Bhargava is seen shouting at the woman, twisting her arm and forcibly grabbing her face. The victim can be heard pleading to Bhargava to speak to her rather than resorting to physical violence. Also, we can hear Bhargava screaming, “will be blind in her next birth too”
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According to The Indian Express reports, Bhargava entered the church, with members of several Hindutva affiliated organisations, alleging that the visually impaired children were being forced into religious conversion; But, the students present at the church have flatly denied all the allegations.
An unnamed police officer cited in media reports states that there was no evidence to support claims of forced religious conversion. The incident has since intensified political debate in the state, with opposition parties demanding accountability and action against those involved.
