SIR: Farmer hangs self after name deleted
Malda: A 37-year-old farmer allegedly died by suicide in West Bengal’s Malda district, with his family claiming that anxiety over the deletion of his name from the voter list triggered the tragic incident. The incident took place in Pathar Madhaipur area under Sahapur region of Old Malda block on Monday.
The deceased has been identified as Kabil Sheikh. According to family sources, Kabil and his four brothers had their names under review in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the electoral rolls. However, after the publication of the supplementary list on Sunday night, all five brothers allegedly found their names missing from the voter list. On Monday morning, locals discovered his body hanging from an electric pole in a paddy field, around 500 meters away from his house.
Internal dissent rocks BJP in South Dinajpur
Balurghat: BJP is facing internal turbulence in South Dinajpur after a party rebel filed nomination against its official candidate in the Gangarampur (SC) Assembly seat on Monday, triggering political ripples in the district. Mrityunjay Barman, who served as a ‘Shakti Pramukh’ in Gangarampur, submitted his nomination as an Independent candidate against BJP nominee Satyendranath Roy. Explaining his decision, Barman alleged suppression within the party ranks. “The atmosphere had been very suffocating.
I did not have the right to express my views. That is why I decided to quit,” he said, adding that he followed all Election Commission guidelines while filing his nomination in Balurghat. Confident of his prospects, Barman asserted: “I am sure of my victory.” However, Roy downplayed the development, stating that the rebellion would have “no impact” on the election outcome. Notably, Roy had won the Gangarampur seat in the 2021 Assembly elections by a margin of 4,592 votes, defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Goutam Das, who has been renominated for 2026. The unrest is not limited to Gangarampur. On the same day, BJP ST Morcha district president Sushil Mardi filed nomination from Balurghat as an Independent, expressing dissatisfaction over candidate selection. The denial of a ticket to sitting MLA Ashok Kumar Lahiri and the nomination of Bidyut Kumar Roy have further intensified factional tensions.