Kolkata: Panic over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls claimed another life in Bengal on Wednesday, after a man from Bhangar in South 24-Parganas allegedly died by suicide fearing his name might be missing from the voter list and being branded as a ‘foreigner’.
With this incident, the number of alleged SIR-related deaths in the state has risen to nine since the revision process began.
The deceased, identified as Safikul Gaji, was reportedly distressed by rumours that residents unable to prove their voter credentials could be branded “foreigners” and sent to Bangladesh. Police have started an inquiry and sent the body for post-mortem.
Following the incident, Trinamool Congress MLA from Canning East, Shawkat Molla, visited the bereaved family. He said he went on the instruction of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, alleging that “all this is happening because of the BJP’s conspiracy”.
Just a day earlier, two similar incidents were reported in Howrah and Murshidabad. In Uluberia, 28-year-old daily-wage earner Zahir Mal was found hanging at home after days of anxiety over document verification. In Kandi, farmer Mohan Sheikh (45) allegedly consumed pesticide after discovering his name missing from the 2002 rolls.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, reacting to the growing toll, posted on X that these were “the tragic consequences of BJP’s politics of fear”. She assured that “genuine citizens of Bengal” would not be harassed in the name of voter verification, urging people “not to take any extreme step”.
Over the past week, similar deaths have been reported from Hooghly, Birbhum, East Burdwan and North 24-Parganas, mostly involving elderly or low-income residents. The first such case was that of Pradip Kar (57) from Panihati. Others include Hasina Begum (60) of Dankuni, Kshitish Majumdar (95) of Birbhum, Bimal Santra of East Burdwan, Kakoli Sarkar of Titagarh, and Sheikh Sirajuddin of East Midnapore.
The TMC has urged people to remain calm, announcing help desks and verification camps. It has termed the ongoing SIR “Bangla-birodhi politics” and accused the BJP of using it to “humiliate and strip Bengalis of dignity”.