Man held for ransacking Dhubri poll office

Dhubri: The Dhubri election office was vandalised on Monday allegedly by a person who claimed that one of his family members was declared a “D” voter after the Special Revision (SR) electoral roll, published last week.

Dhubri election officer Sugata Goswami was in his chamber at the time of the incident and immediately called police to report the vandalism.


Police reached the office soon after and arrested the accused and later took him to Dhubri Police Station.

A source in the Dhubri election office said at 9.45am, a person identified as Abdur Rashid, around 45, entered the election office in Ward No. 1 of Dhubri town carrying a thick wooden piece, broke the door and window panes, entered the staff working room and smashed computers and allied electronic gadgets.

The source said Rashid first asked the staff to show how his family member was declared a “D” voter, but the latter expressed inability as the computer had developed a technical snag. The source said this allegedly further angered him, after which he ransacked the computer, UPS, keyboards and other electronic items.

“Two sets of computers were completely damaged while door and window panes and other stationery on table were broken by him,” the source added.

Contacted by TOI, Goswami said Rashid “apparently looked unstable and seemed under the influence of liquor or something else.”

“ As of now, the motive behind ransacking the computer and other allied electronic gadgets couldn’t be known. However, in police investigation, it will come out”, Goswami added.

Dhubri Police Station (Sadar) officer-in-charge Pritom Das said Rashid was arrested and during preliminary interrogation told police that one of his family members was declared “D” voter in the SR.

Additional security forces have been deployed in and around the Dhubri election office.