SIR: Two dead in Birbhum over voter list deletions

Kolkata: Panic surrounding alleged deletions from the supplementary voter list has claimed two lives in Birbhum, intensifying concerns ahead of the Assembly elections.

In Mayureswar’s Kaleshwar Gram Panchayat area, 58-year-old Sadat Ali was found dead at his residence on Wednesday morning. Family members said eight members of their household had their names marked as “under adjudication” in the draft SIR list despite submitting documents. However, when the supplementary list was published, all eight names were found deleted, triggering shock within the family.

Relatives alleged that the distress caused by the deletions led to Ali’s death. The omissions reportedly included his daughter-in-law, relatives and other family members.

In a similar incident, Archana Bibi, a resident of Talowa Gram Panchayat’s Gaurbazar area in Mallarpur, died on Tuesday night. Her family claimed she succumbed to fear after finding her name missing from the voter list, terming it “SIR-related panic.”

The twin incidents have sparked political reactions. BJP candidate Dudhkumar Mondal said the deaths were being politically exploited, though he termed them unfortunate. In response, Trinamool Congress leader Pramod Roy accused the BJP of indulging in politics over deaths, asserting that his party does not politicise such tragedies. With allegations and counter-allegations mounting, the incidents have raised serious questions over voter list

revisions and their impact on citizens.