Siliguri, West Bengal – A devastating fire broke out at the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) office late Wednesday night, resulting in the total destruction of two office rooms and an unspecified number of critical documents related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Around 11:30 PM, security guards and local residents noticed thick black smoke billowing from the third floor of the Vivekananda Bhavan complex. Two fire engines from the Siliguri Fire Station were dispatched to the scene. While firefighters brought the blaze under control within 30 minutes, the damage to the interior was already extensive.
This fire comes at a time of heightened anxiety across North Bengal due to the ongoing SIR process. With hearings currently active for thousands of “unmapped” voters, the loss of these original documents is expected to cause a significant administrative bottleneck.
“Everything in those two rooms is gone—computers, furniture, and government files,” stated a fire department official. SDO Vikas Ruhela, who visited the site immediately, has refrained from commenting on the exact number of files lost until a full audit is completed.
