SIR 2.0 | Suicides reported in West Bengal, TMC claims 'anxiety' over electoral exercise

Kolkata: As another man died by suicide in West Bengal on Wednesday, allegedly due to fear of being disenfranchised, the ruling Trinamool Congress alleged that the anxiety over the Special Intensive Review of the electoral rolls in the state claimed at least nine lives so far.

The Election Commission deployed 80,681Booth Level Officers to conduct the SIR of the electoral rolls in the 294 assembly constituencies in West Bengal and they distributed more than 84 lakh enumeration forms till 4 pm on Wednesday – the second day of the house-to-house survey.

A day after Chief Minister and the Trinamool Congress Chief, Mamata Banerjee, led a TMC protest march in Kolkata, accusing the Election Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party of creating a fear psychosis with the SIR of the electoral rolls in West Bengal, Safikul Gazi, a middle-aged man, died by suicide at Bhangar in the South 24 Parganas district of the state, died by suicide.

Gazi’s wife told police that the fear of being disenfranchised had added to the husband, who had already been disturbed after suffering injuries in an accident a few months back, had been anxious about being disenfranchised since the SIR had been announced in 12 States and Union Territories, including West Bengal. 

The TMC had alleged on Tuesday that eight people had died some by suicide and others after falling sick due to anxiety, in West Bengal after the SIR of the electoral rolls had been announced, triggering panic across the state.

“Such tragedies are the result of the BJP's conspiracy to intimidate and disenfranchise poor people," Shaukat Molla, the local TMC legislator, alleged.

"The SIR is a routine Election Commission process conducted across India to update voter lists. The TMC is using these deaths for political gain and to malign the BJP. Law and order is the state government's responsibility, not ours," BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said.

A BLO on Wednesday visited the residence of Mamata in Kalighat in West Bengal and delivered 17 enumeration forms to her and the members of her family.