Kolkata: In Hasnabad, North 24-Parganas, a 38-year-old man named Firoz Molla was found dead in his sleep on Friday morning, sparking fresh controversy around the ongoing Special Identification Revision process in West Bengal. Firoz’s family says he had been deeply worried because his parents’ names, although present in the 2002 voter list hard copy, did not appear in the online BLO app records — a discrepancy that had caused him severe stress.
Like many others, Firoz had submitted his enumeration form, including all required details. Despite this, he received a hearing notice from the Election Commission and was told that the online records didn’t match the old voter list, even though his parents’ names were correctly listed in the hard copy. This confusion reportedly intensified his anxiety. On Friday morning, he talked about the issue with his family and then suddenly became unwell. His wife Selina and mother Zarina said Firoz had repeatedly expressed fear and frustration over the SIR process, and his wife blamed the process for his death.
Local TMC leaders also condemned the SIR system, holding both the Election Commission and BJP responsible for creating panic and distress among residents.