A fresh controversy has erupted in West Bengal, as the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has once again pointed the finger at the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls for a fatality and an illness in the state. The latest incident, linking the intensive voter list update to a death, took place in Dankuni, Hooghly district.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has, however, vehemently dismissed the allegations, accusing the ruling party of intentionally spreading panic and engaging in a “conspiracy.”
Elderly Woman’s Death Sparks Fresh Row
The deceased has been identified as Hasina Begum, a 60-year-old resident of Ward No. 13 of Dankuni Municipality, though she had been living with her daughter in Ward No. 20 due to her age.
Local residents reported that Hasina Begum had been under severe stress for the past few days over the SIR process. She had even attended a local awareness meeting about the voter revision just three days prior, but her anxiety reportedly escalated afterwards.
On Sunday evening, the elderly woman suddenly fell ill. A neighbour recounted, “She was returning home with tea but suddenly held her head and sat down in the middle of the road. People carried her back home, but she wasn’t opening her eyes. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared her dead.”
TMC Chairman Links Death to SIR
On Monday morning, following the death on Sunday, Dankuni Municipal Chairman Hasina Shabnam visited the deceased’s residence and squarely blamed the SIR for the fatality.
“The elderly woman’s name was not on the 2002 voter list, which naturally created a sense of panic in her mind,” the Chairman stated. “We are constantly trying to allay people’s fears, but I truly don’t know how many more lives the SIR will cost.”
The Chairman also noted that a neighbour of the deceased had also suffered a heart attack and fallen seriously ill, which she also attributed to the widespread anxiety surrounding the SIR.
BJP Calls Allegations a ‘Conspiracy’
The BJP has refused to attach any significance to the Municipal Chairman’s claims. Debashish Mukhopadhyay, a local BJP leader, asserted that there was no reason to panic over the SIR.
He countered the TMC’s stance by bringing up past political actions: “The Chief Minister had supported the 2002 SIR. But look at the situation today! Back then, 69,000 names were struck off the draft list, and Mamata Banerjee blamed the then-Left government.” He suggested the ruling party’s current opposition is a political tactic.
Precedence of SIR-Linked Fatalities in Bengal
The incident in Dankuni adds to a growing list of deaths in West Bengal that the ruling party has directly linked to panic stemming from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and its alleged connection to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
* Panihati (North 24 Parganas): A 57-year-old man died by suicide days after the SIR announcement, with a purported note referencing anxiety over the NRC.
* Agarpara: An elderly man’s death was previously linked to SIR panic.
* Elambazar & Purba Bardhaman: Earlier incidents in these areas have also been cited by the TMC to highlight the adverse psychological impact of the voter revision exercise.
* Purba Bardhaman: The death of a migrant worker from Jamalpur was also recently linked by the TMC to anxiety over the SIR.
* Birbhum & Cooch Behar: Suicides and attempted suicides have been reported, where families or the individuals themselves cited fear of name deletion or deportation due to the SIR process.
The TMC is scheduled to hold protest rallies against the SIR, while the Election Commission and BJP leaders have repeatedly urged citizens not to panic, assuring that no genuine voter’s name will be deleted.
Would you like me to search for any official statement from the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the ongoing SIR process in West Bengal?
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