Cooch Behar: Panic over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process by the Election Commission (EC) allegedly drove an elderly man to attempt suicide in the Dinhata subdivision of Cooch Behar district on Wednesday.
The incident took place in Jitpur 7/54 area under Burirhat–II Gram Panchayat (GP) of Dinhata–II block. The victim, identified as Khairul Sheikh, reportedly consumed poison after discovering a discrepancy in his name in the voter list. While his official documents mention his name as Khairul Sheikh, the 2002 voter list reportedly recorded it as Khairu Sheikh. The variation, sources said, led to intense anxiety over potential citizenship doubts, prompting the desperate act. Family members immediately rushed him to the Dinhata Sub-Divisional Hospital, from where he was later referred to Cooch Behar MJN Medical College and Hospital as his condition worsened. He is currently undergoing treatment there and is said to be stable. Upon receiving the news, Cooch Behar District Trinamool Congress president Abhijit De Bhowmik visited the victim, met his family members and ensured that necessary medical assistance was provided. Speaking to reporters, De Bhowmik said: “He consumed poison out of fear after noticing the wrong name in the 2002 voter list.
A sense of panic has been spreading in the area over the SIR process. The way the BJP and the Election Commission are handling the issue is creating unnecessary fear among the people. Minor clerical mistakes are causing panic in several households.”
According to family members and local residents, the mismatch of names in different documents occurred due to administrative negligence. They alleged that repeated mistakes by the Election Commission had created confusion over identity verification. Some locals even claimed that Khairul feared he might be deported to Bangladesh because of the error. Khairul, now recovering at the hospital, told reporters: “My name was recorded incorrectly, and out of fear, I consumed poison.” The incident has sparked widespread concern in the locality, with residents demanding immediate steps to correct such discrepancies and prevent further panic related to the SIR verification process.
Incidentally, on Tuesday, a 57-year-old man from Panihati, allegedly committed suicide, leaving behind a note saying “NRC is responsible”.
“Yesterday, 57-year-old Pradeep Kar of Panihati took his own life, leaving behind a note that read: ‘NRC is responsible for my death.’ Today, in Cooch Behar, another man attempted suicide, terrified that the SIR drive would brand him an ‘outsider’ in his own homeland,” the TMC stated.
Calling it “institutional cruelty of the highest order,” TMC alleged that “this is what happens when a party intoxicated with power toys with people’s lives to spread fear and division.” “How many more lives will it take, Narendra Modi, for you to stop weaponising citizenship?” the statement asked. “How many more Bengalis must die before your propaganda feels complete?”
The party further said that “those who once shed blood for this nation are now being humiliated, profiled, and pushed to despair—only because Bengal refuses to bow down.” “The self-styled Jonobirodhi Zamindars of BJP are not merely tormenting a state; they are waging war on its people. Every drop of blood shed in this political persecution stains their conscience,” the TMC asserted. “Bengal will neither forgive nor forget,” the statement concluded.