BALURGHAT: Allegations of irregularities in the electoral roll have surfaced from different parts of South Dinajpur district, with one incident ending in tragedy after a 71-year-old man allegedly died by suicide following the deletion of his son’s name from the final voter list, while in another case a man from Harirampur Assembly constituency claimed he was wrongly included in the death list despite being alive.
The suicide occurred in the Patan area under Maharajpur in Gangarampur subdivision. The deceased has been identified as Bistu Sarkar. According to family members, the final voter list published on February 28 retained Bistu Sarkar’s name but showed his elder son Bishnu Sarkar’s name as “deleted.”
Bistu Sarkar is survived by two sons — Bishnu Sarkar and Biplab Sarkar. The family claimed that the elderly man had been under severe mental stress since discovering that his son’s name was missing from the list.
“My father became very disturbed after my name was deleted from the voter list. He was constantly worried about it. We never imagined he would take such a step inside the house. The Election Commission is responsible for my father’s death,” alleged Bishnu Sarkar. Following the incident, local leaders, including Belbari Gram Panchayat Trinamool Congress chairman Paresh Basak, visited the bereaved family. Basak said the elderly man had been deeply anxious over the issue. “The fear and distress over his son’s name being deleted from the voter list pushed him to take the extreme step. We are standing beside the family,” he said.
Gangarampur Sub-Divisional Police Officer Subhotosh Sarkar said the body was recovered and sent for post-mortem examination. “An investigation has been initiated,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident from Harirampur Assembly constituency in the same district, a resident identified as Pabitra Ohiyaar alleged that his name had been mistakenly included in the death list even though he is alive. According to reports, Ohiyaar has already submitted the SIR form to the concerned authorities seeking correction of the error.