Elderly man dies in Nadia; family blames anxiety over voters’ list revision

A 70-year-old hawker from Nadia district died allegedly due to anxiety triggered by the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal. His family claimed he stopped eating after learning that his name was missing from the old voters’ list

Kolkata: A 70-year-old man killed in Nadia district on Monday, with his family alleging that the death was due to anxiety linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, police said.

The deceased, identified as Shyamal Kumar Saha, was a resident of Krishnachakpur Mandalpara under Taherpur Police Station, and he had stopped taking food due to SIR anxiety, they said.

---

“Family members claimed that the deceased had stopped eating food after learning his name was missing from the 2002 voters’ list. They also claimed that he had all the valid documents. We have come across the death, but there is no official communication from the family in connection with it,” they said.

Investigation revealed that Saha, despite possessing all valid documents, including a voter card, an Aadhaar card, a PAN card, and property papers, remained fearful since the announcement of the SIR of electoral rolls. “He barely ate and worried constantly,” his wife said.

Local Trinamool Congress leaders and panchayat members visited the family of Saha. The deceased was a hawker. The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is being conducted in West Bengal after a 23-year gap. The last SIR in the State was held in 2002.

Since the announcement of SIR, several people had died allegedly by suicide in West Bengal over “fear of exclusion” from the voters’ list during the voters’ list revision exercise, according to police.

The TMC has been alleging that panic created by the SIR process introduced by the Election Commission had pushed several people into distress. The BJP has rejected the charge as politically motivated.