SIR anxiety claims 2 more voters’ lives, BLO kills self over excessive workload

Kolkata: “How many more innocent people must collapse in queues before those responsible are forced to answer?”—this question posed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has renewed focus on the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls following a series of deaths allegedly linked to the exercise.

The concern intensified after the death of Madan Ghosh, an elderly resident of Howrah. In a separate incident in Murshidabad, 47-year-old primary school teacher and Booth Level Officer (BLO) Hamimul Islam was found dead by suicide on school premises.

Ghosh, whose name had been on the voter list for years, was reportedly summoned for an SIR-related verification hearing.

According to his family, he was under severe mental stress after receiving the notice. On the day of the hearing, while moving around the Bally–Jagacha area to complete documentation formalities, he suddenly collapsed on the road and was rushed to a hospital where he later died. His relatives have alleged that prolonged anxiety and pressure associated with the SIR process played a crucial role in his death.

Shortly after, another fatality was reported from Birbhum district. 75-year-old Kanchan Kumar Mondal died of cardiac arrest while attending an SIR hearing at the Rampurhat-I Block Development Office.

Mondal had arrived early with all the required documents and was standing in a long queue outside the office when he became unwell and collapsed. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His family has also alleged that stress and the ordeal of waiting contributed to his fatal heart attack.

The controversy has not been limited to voters. After BLO, Hamimul Islam’s death, his family alleged that overwhelming work pressure from SIR duties was a key factor.

According to police and family accounts, Hamimul left home to attend school but did not return; his body was discovered hanging later that night. Relatives said he was under severe stress due to his dual responsibilities as a teacher and BLO, and that the rising SIR workload had intensified in recent weeks.

These incidents have intensified political accusations, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleging that the SIR exercise has become “inhuman”, particularly for elderly and vulnerable citizens, and that voter verification should not turn into a source of fear or trauma.

The party has also highlighted that at least eight BLOs in West Bengal have died during the SIR drive, with families and local sources attributing these deaths to workload and stress related to the process—a figure that has fuelled further debate over the human cost of electoral roll revision.

While the Election Commission maintains that SIR is a routine administrative exercise intended to ensure accurate voter rolls, these deaths have triggered serious questions about implementation, timelines, and support for both citizens and field-level officials involved in the process.

On this, the ruling party stated: “This reckless, rigged Election Commission and BJP combined weapon SIR must be addressed, and accountability must be fixed for every life lost to this politics of intimidation. SHAME ON YOU BJP, Shame on you!”