KOLKATA: Three people whose names were under scrutiny in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls allegedly died by suicide within 48 hours in West Bengal, while another person died of health complications that his family linked to anxiety over the issue.
In South 24 Parganas, 44-year-old van driver Rafique Ali Gazi from Magrahat allegedly hanged himself on Tuesday night after discovering that his name had been marked as “under adjudication” in the final voter list published last Saturday.
His wife, Amina Bibi, lodged a written complaint against the Election Commission at Usti police station, following which police initiated an investigation. Local Trinamool Congress workers staged a protest with the body and briefly blocked the Usti–Shirakol Road on Wednesday.
In Jalpaiguri, 62-year-old Gourango De was found dead on Tuesday morning. His family claimed he took the extreme step due to anxiety related to the SIR process. According to them, De had been voting for more than four decades, but for reasons unclear, his name was missing from the 2002 voter list. He had attended hearings and submitted the required documents, yet his name remained under adjudication in the final 2026 SIR list.
Police said De’s body was found hanging in the bathroom of his house and has been sent for post-mortem. His family said he had applied online to re-register his name just a day earlier.
In Malda district, 43-year-old Hazera Biwi from Harishchandrapur allegedly died after consuming poison on Tuesday after finding her name listed under adjudication. The incident triggered protests in Shitalpur village.
State minister Tajmul Hossain, who visited Hazera’s family on Wednesday, criticised the situation. “The woman submitted all her papers and still found herself under adjudication. The Election Commission cannot shirk responsibility,” he said, adding that his own name was also under adjudication.
However, BJP leader Amlan Bhaduri accused the ruling party of politicising the incidents. “TMC plays filthy political games over any death. Let the real reason behind the deaths be investigated,” he said.
In West Midnapore, 65-year-old Krishna Pal from Debra died after reportedly falling ill when he learned that his and his son Dipanjan’s names had been removed from the SIR list. According to his family, Pal went into shock and complained of severe discomfort.
He was initially taken to Debra Superspecialty Hospital on Monday and later referred to Midnapore Medical College, but died on the way.
Debra MLA Humayun Kabir visited the family on Wednesday and said he would take up the matter with the block development officer. Kabir blamed the Election Commission for the death, citing the stress caused by the voter list revision process.
