India, April 4 -- The deplorable incident involving seven judicial officers - who were taken hostage inside a government building in central Bengal earlier this week during the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll - underlines the lacunae in the administration's preparation for the sensitive process, the deep politicisation of the poll campaign in a state where political violence is endemic, and the emotions that continue to run high over the controversial deletions of millions of names. All stakeholders must come together to lower the political temperature and tamp down on rhetoric. Calmer heads must prevail. First, the predicament of the seven judicial officers adjudicating cases of logical discrepancy under the SIR - who were confined for nearly 10 hours inside a Block Development Office's premises in Kaliachak, Malda - underlines the poor response and coordination of state government officials. Despite the protests beginning around 2:30 pm and growing increasingly restive, local officials dithered. Despite urgent communications from the high court registry to the state administration, no effective action was taken until late night. The officers were denied even basic necessities such as food and water, and senior officials, including the district magistrate and superintendent of police, did not reach the spot. Only the involvement of the Calcutta High Court chief justice finally pushed the director general of police and home secretary to intervene - that too around 11 pm. The officers were released only around midnight, and even then, they were pelted with stones and assaulted with bamboo sticks while leaving the premises. The Supreme Court has rightly deprecated the "complete failure of civil and police administration" and taken top state officials to task, even as it ordered a probe. But some responsibility must also rest with the Election Commission of India (ECI), which has not only transferred 480 officials in West Bengal - more than 30 times the number transferred in 2021 and 20 times the number transferred in the other four poll-bound regions - but also picked top administrative and police officials. If these officials have failed to act responsibly, ECI must take its selection of names into cognisance. Second, political violence in Bengal has proven difficult to uproot. This culture of dangerous escalation has been nurtured by political leaders of all ideological shades because it fulfils their short-term electoral goals. In a large and diverse state with many sensitive districts, political muscle not only incites clashes but also stymies genuine electoral churn and free-and-fair campaigns. The arrest of political leaders in connection with the violence in Malda only underscores the connection between the polls and violence - which must be severed for the sake of the state and its electorate. The apex court itself was forced to take note of the presence of political actors at the protest site, and said it had "not seen such politicisation in any state". This is a sorry state of affairs. And three, the protests in various parts of north Bengal and Kolkata signal that emotions are running high over SIR, which has been blighted by constant rule changes, a standoff between the state government and ECI, and a protracted process that now threatens to not finish before the two-phase assembly elections later this month. Questions have rightly been raised about holding the exercise close to the polls and the creation of the "logical discrepancy" category, as well as about Bengal being the only state where tensions simmered, and the stonewalling by the state government. Caught in this melee are ordinary people whose right to vote is now at stake. Violence can never be tolerated in a democratic country. Disenfranchisement can't be either....