Woman falls ill at SIR queue in Itahar

Raiganj: A 48-year-old woman fell seriously ill and lost consciousness while standing in a long queue for the SIR hearing at Itahar High School in North Dinajpur district on Monday afternoon.

The woman has been identified as Jaheda Khatun, and is a resident of Algram in Itahar. Reportedly, she stood in the queue for over five hours along with her two daughters. Residents and a section of Trinamool Congress (TMC) members rushed her to the Itahar Primary Health Centre, where she was given saline and injections. Considering her condition, doctors later referred her to Raiganj Medical College and Hospital for advanced treatment.

Her husband Noor Alam expressed concern over the prolonged waiting time and said: “My wife reached the venue around 10 am, but the hearing started very late. She remained extremely tense after being called for the hearing. Standing for such a long time deteriorated her health.”

Block Development Officer (BDO) of Itahar, Dibyendu Sarkar, stated that the administration has taken note of the incident.

“We are aware of the woman’s difficulties. Once her health improves, we are planning to complete her hearing through a special arrangement,” he added.

Meanwhile, political tension flared in another part of the district over the submission of Form Seven.

A scuffle broke out between TMC and BJP activists inside the Block Development Officer’s office premises in Kaliyaganj on Monday evening.Following the incident, BJP workers staged a protest by blocking the Raiganj–Balurghat State Highway. A large police contingent later reached the spot and cleared the blockade.

BJP leader Amit Saha alleged that TMC activists attacked them while they were trying to submit Form Seven against alleged fake voters in Ward No. 5. However, Kaliyaganj TMC president Nitai Baisya denied the allegation, claiming BJP members were attempting to delete the names of genuine voters, prompting TMC’s protest to protect common people.