Mamata Banerjee lifts dharna against SIR after SC orders setting up of tribunals

KOLKATA: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Tuesday called off her protest launched on March 6 against "forced deletion" of names from voters' list, hailing the SC order on Bengal SIR as a "people's victory" as it "opened a closed door" for those stripped of voting rights.The sit-in at Esplanade continued for 114 hours, during which the CM never left the dais. It ended following an appeal from TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee on behalf of party workers. Referring to the SC order to set up tribunals to decide appeals against judicial officers' orders rejecting claims for inclusion in the voters' list, the CM said, "SC has opened a closed door; use it. The case will be pending in SC even after assembly poll dates are announced. My petition is still there. Don't think you have no chance if election dates are declared. They have said, come to us till a day before the election if your name is not on the list."Banerjee said the case would be heard in the SC on March 25 and urged those whose names were struck off not to lose heart.