Kolkata, Jan 19 (NationPress) Protests erupted in the Basanti region of West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Sunday, fueled by allegations of harassment linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing process.

The highway was obstructed with burning tyres, causing significant traffic disruptions.

The majority of residents in the affected area belong to the minority community. They claim to be unfairly targeted with SIR notices, alleging that despite submitting numerous documents, they continue to face harassment through repeated summons for hearings.

Notably, similar demonstrations are occurring in Baduria, Magrahat, and Mangalkot in the North 24 Parganas and East Burdwan districts.

Residents are questioning the issuance of notices to so many individuals after they had already submitted the required documentation.

A villager involved in the protest expressed, "The commission is not providing any documentation or paperwork. The Booth Level Officer (BLO) merely informs us, and that's how we learned about it. Muslims are being selectively harassed. Some of us have two to four children. Our other relatives are processing their documents, but ours remain stalled. We are being asked to prove that we have six children."

A senior official from the South 24 Parganas district commented, "A protest is ongoing in the Basanti area, impacting traffic flow. We are in discussions with the protesters to convince them to end their demonstration."

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has clarified that secondary school admit cards are not valid for the hearing.

The commission will once again summon voters who submitted admit cards, emphasizing that alternative documentation must be provided.

Among the 12 required documents, aside from the Aadhaar card, the secondary school certificate is mandatory.

In West Bengal, the age is indicated on the secondary school admit card. Individuals lacking birth certificates submitted their admit cards as proof of age.

However, the Election Commission of India reiterated that only certificates, not admit cards, will be accepted. This is due to the fact that admit cards are not honored outside the state. This has led to considerable inconvenience for the populace and has sparked a wave of protests against the ECI's directives.