Kolkata: At several places in Kolkata on Tuesday, hearing queues beat vote-day queues, with many people complaining of long waiting times outside the venues. At many part numbers across assembly constituencies, 150-200 persons were called for hearings by the EC on Tuesday to expedite the process. However, several people complained of “unnecessary harassment” as they were asked to bring alternative documents.“My name was not included in the 2002 SIR roll. In the enumeration form, I mapped myself with my father, whose name was mentioned in the 2002 list. During the hearing, I submitted my Aadhaar card, which also included my father’s name, after waiting for around two hours. But the AERO sought my Madhyamik certificate. My son went home to bring the certificate. Why are they harassing me for a minor thing?” Hari Narayan Das, a resident of Beleghata, asked.Zeeshan Hossain, a resident of Narkeldanga who works in Saudi Arabia, had to come back to Kolkata to attend the SIR hearing. “Our family stayed in Kolkata for more than 100 years. I have all govt documents, including the passport. But the EC sent me a hearing notice for a minor mismatch in my father’s surname,” he said.According to a commission decision, if a notice for a hearing is issued, voters concerned could nominate someone else to appear on their behalf. Jaideep Gupta, a voter from Bidhannagar, visited a hearing centre on Tuesday on behalf of his brother, who is now in Delhi on an office tour. “I brought my brother’s documents as well as a letter from him, nominating me in the hearing. However, the official at the hearing refused to accept the documents, as I did not bring my documents with me. This is insane,” he said.Manoj Das, a resident of central Kolkata, was surprised to get the hearing notice, which stated that his father’s age difference with him was less than 15 years. “My father died several years ago, so I was surprised to get the notice. The BLO told me that the 2002 SIR roll shows my father is only 5 years older than me. How can it be? It was their (EC) mistake. I submitted my father’s death certificate in the hearing,” Das quipped.Dilip Jaiswal, too, was called for a hearing for “logical discrepancies”. “In the hearing, the official did not tell me what the exact discrepancy was. I submitted a photocopy of my class X pass certificate, and the official accepted it. I run a small business, which is closed today for my hearing,” he said after attending a hearing at the Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Institution in Phoolbagan.A BLO of Beleghata assembly constituency said that between Jan 27 and 31, 150-200 persons, on average, per part number in Beleghata would appear in the hearing as the EC decided to expedite the process.
