Kudghat area: Elderly woman sets self on fire over ‘intense SIR panic’

Kolkata: In Kudghat area, Jamuna Mondal, an elderly resident, allegedly set herself on fire following intense panic over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. According to her family, she was deeply unsettled for days, fearing that discrepancies in voter verification might put her name at risk.

Neighbours said she repeatedly expressed anxiety after hearing about officials’ visits and was terrified that her voter identity might not match the 2002 reference list. This prolonged fear reportedly pushed her into a state of extreme distress.

On the day of the incident, Jamuna Mondal allegedly poured kerosene on herself and ignited it inside her home. Family members and neighbours rushed to rescue her and took her to MR Bangur Hospital with severe burn injuries. Despite efforts, she succumbed to her wounds. Police have begun an investigation into the circumstances leading to her self-immolation, while her son Mrityunjay Mondal stated she took this fatal decision after being panicked regarding SIR for days.

Amid similar incidents being reported from multiple districts, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, acting under the direction of Abhishek Banerjee, visited Jalpaiguri’s Raiganj and Satpura on Tuesday. The team met the families of Bhuban Chandra Roy and Kamala Roy, both of whom reportedly died after becoming distressed during the SIR process.

In a social media post, TMC criticised what it described as the Election Commission’s mismanagement of the verification exercise, arguing that the unplanned approach has created fear and confusion among ordinary citizens. Party leaders assured the bereaved families of support and said they would continue raising the issue at all levels. With these fresh deaths across Bengal, the toll linked to SIR-related panic has now reached 24.