‘SIR panic’: 2 more deaths reported in Kolaghat & Bhagabangola

Kolkata: Two more deaths were reported in Bengal on Friday, allegedly linked to panic triggered by the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Since the announcement of the SIR exercise, one death after another has been reported, with families claiming fear of being labelled “intruders” as the primary cause.

Two BLOs have also died during this period, while several others remain hospitalised due to excessive workload. In the first incident, an 83-year-old woman from Kolaghat in East Midnapore died of a heart attack. Her family alleged she had been under severe mental stress after discovering that both her and her son’s names were missing from the 2002 voter roll.

Her son maintained that she had been voting since 1991 and her name appeared in all lists prior to 2002. Locals said she had repeatedly been asking others about the consequences of the discrepancy. On Thursday night, she complained of intense chest pain and collapsed. She was taken to a hospital where doctors declared her dead. Another fatality was reported from Bhagabangola in Murshidabad, where a resident died after becoming distressed over an error in his enumeration form. His actual name, Irfan Khan, had been replaced by his nickname in the form, although the 2002 voter list correctly recorded his full name.

According to his family, the mismatch caused extreme anxiety. He visited the BDO office and the block office seeking clarification but returned without any resolution. On Thursday, unable to cope with the stress, he collapsed and later died.

With these two new cases, the death toll has risen to 30, including the death of two BLOs. Meanwhile, BLO Tapati Biswas—who suffered a cerebral stroke earlier this week—has been shifted to Kolkata Medical College as her condition deteriorated further.