Kolkata: “What was billed as voter verification has turned into a weapon of mass panic,” the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged on Tuesday, as reports emerged of the death of a BLO-2 (Booth Level Officer-2) in Kandi, Murshidabad, allegedly following intense stress linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
According to local sources, the deceased, identified as Jahangir Sheikh(42), was associated with booth-level electoral work and had recently received SIR-related notice himself. Family members claimed that the notices triggered severe anxiety, sleeplessness, and mental distress, ultimately leading to his collapse and death.
On Wednesday morning, as his health worsened further, he was first admitted to the Panchkuti Rural Hospital. When his condition did not improve there, he was shifted to Kandi Mahakuma Hospital. As his health continued to deteriorate, he was eventually referred to Burdwan Medical College. He died while undergoing treatment. According to the preliminary assessment by doctors, he died due to a brain stroke.
In a strongly worded statement, the TMC accused the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of creating an atmosphere of fear through the manner in which the SIR process is being implemented. The party claimed that names are being deleted from voter lists without adequate communication, leaving ordinary citizens and grassroots workers fearful of being branded “outsiders” in their own land. Terming the situation “inhuman and authoritarian,” the TMC alleged that the process has stripped people of dignity and voice.