Cooch Behar: The suicide of a 45-year-old private tutor in Falimari area of Dinhata has triggered widespread concern, with the family alleging that anxiety over corrections under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls drove him to take the extreme step.
The deceased has been identified as Subhash Barman, a private tutor by profession. According to his father Shashikanta Barman, Subhash had been under “severe mental stress” over an error in his wife’s voter documents. “His wife’s SIR record mistakenly mentioned his grandfather’s name instead of his father’s. He was deeply worried about the future of his two minor children and feared that his wife could be sent to Bangladesh or placed in a detention camp,” he said.
Local Booth Level Officer Mousumi Parvin (Booth No. 6/272) stated that there was no discrepancy in Subhash Barman’s own records. “The issue was limited to his wife’s name in the 2002 voter list. I assured him that the mistake could be corrected, but he appeared to be under extreme mental pressure,” she said.
Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia visited the bereaved family and termed the incident tragic. “Across Bengal, innocent lives are being lost due to the inhumane process adopted by the Election Commission. Subhash Barman, an educated young man, died out of fear stemming from a minor clerical error,” he alleged.
However, BJP Cooch Behar district vice-president Biraj Bose dismissed any direct link between the suicide and SIR. “All deaths are unfortunate, but there is no evidence that this incident was related to SIR, as no notice was issued. The Trinamool MP should refrain from making irresponsible statements,” he said.
Meanwhile, police and administrative authorities have launched an investigation. Officials said the exact reason behind the suicide is yet to be ascertained.