People wait in queues during a special intensive revision hearing in Krishnanagar, in Nadia, West Bengal. | Photo credit: PTI
“A cabin level officer (BLO) was seriously injured after he was allegedly assaulted by a man during an ongoing SIR exercise in West Bengal’s Nadia district,” a police officer said.
BLO Ali Saheb was attacked when he went to a village in Kaliganj area on Sunday (February 15, 2026) to verify cases of “logical discrepancies” in voter data as part of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Mr. Saheb was attacked when he informed resident Alifa Bibi, who was accompanied by her husband Ayatullah Sheikh, that they would have to attend a special hearing to correct the documents submitted by their family.
“According to the police complaint received, the BLO was allegedly assaulted after he told Alifa Bibi that a hearing would be required to resolve the inconsistency in the age difference between her daughter and the Sheikh,” the officer said.
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“When the BLO pleaded helplessness to deal with the issue personally and said the only way out would be the EC’s intervention to convene a special hearing for the family, suddenly Sheikh allegedly hit the BLO with a stick, leading to heavy bleeding from his head,” said a police officer.
The injured BLO was taken for medical treatment and required several stitches to his head.
However, Sheikh denied the assault charges and filed a counter-complaint against the BLO accusing him of misconduct. “The man denied the allegations and claimed that the BLO was harassing his family. We have also received a counter-complaint,” the officer said. The police examined both versions of the events and will proceed in accordance with the law.
“The incident has again highlighted the risks faced by field poll workers who travel door-to-door for verification work during the SIR, which will end after the release of the final voter list on February 28,” officials said.
Published – 16 Feb 2026 12:44 IST