Two men in West Bengal allegedly died by suicide due to severe mental stress following the publication of the final electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), officials reported.
In South 24 Parganas district, 44-year-old Rafiq Ali Gazi was found hanging in his room at Gholpara on Wednesday morning. A senior police officer confirmed that Gazi’s name appeared in the “under adjudication” category in the revised list. His family stated he had been under intense mental pressure after discovering this status, fearing exclusion from voting rights.
In a separate incident in Jalpaiguri town, 62-year-old Gouranga De, a humble momo seller, was discovered hanging in his residence’s washroom on Tuesday morning. His wife told reporters that De had been extremely anxious since his name was placed in the “deleted” category in the final list released on February 28.
Despite submitting all required documents during the SIR process and attending the hearing, his name remained omitted. She noted he had voted faithfully for nearly four decades, though it was absent from the 2002 voter list.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongly condemned the incidents, linking them to the SIR exercise. In an X post, the party described De’s death as a “heartbreaking tragedy” and accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding with the BJP in a “sinister nexus” to disenfranchise the poor, marginalised, and Bengal’s rightful voters on a massive scale. TMC vowed to fight this injustice through all possible channels to protect people’s rights and dignity.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee stated on March 2 that two such deaths had occurred due to SIR-related panic since February 28. The party previously claimed over 110 deaths in the state since November attributed to “SIR stress.”
These incidents highlight the growing controversy and emotional toll surrounding the SIR process ahead of upcoming elections. — With Agencies Inputs
In South 24 Parganas district, 44-year-old Rafiq Ali Gazi was found hanging in his room at Gholpara on Wednesday morning. A senior police officer confirmed that Gazi’s name appeared in the “under adjudication” category in the revised list. His family stated he had been under intense mental pressure after discovering this status, fearing exclusion from voting rights.
In a separate incident in Jalpaiguri town, 62-year-old Gouranga De, a humble momo seller, was discovered hanging in his residence’s washroom on Tuesday morning. His wife told reporters that De had been extremely anxious since his name was placed in the “deleted” category in the final list released on February 28.
Despite submitting all required documents during the SIR process and attending the hearing, his name remained omitted. She noted he had voted faithfully for nearly four decades, though it was absent from the 2002 voter list.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongly condemned the incidents, linking them to the SIR exercise. In an X post, the party described De’s death as a “heartbreaking tragedy” and accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding with the BJP in a “sinister nexus” to disenfranchise the poor, marginalised, and Bengal’s rightful voters on a massive scale. TMC vowed to fight this injustice through all possible channels to protect people’s rights and dignity.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee stated on March 2 that two such deaths had occurred due to SIR-related panic since February 28. The party previously claimed over 110 deaths in the state since November attributed to “SIR stress.”
These incidents highlight the growing controversy and emotional toll surrounding the SIR process ahead of upcoming elections. — With Agencies Inputs