Trinamul general secretary and party leader in the Lok Sabha, Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday vowed to take the battle over the purported loss of lives related to SIR to Delhi in the next two months.
“All the seven people who have died were genuine voters. We will take this movement to Delhi and tell the BJP what Bengal can do,” said Abhishek at north Calcutta’s Jorasanko.
Abhishek and other Trinamool leaders had participated in a rally led by chief minister Mamata Banerjee from Red Road to Jorasanko.
The announcement of special intensive revision in Bengal has met with a series of unfortunate deaths, some self-induced, some others attributed stress and anxiety leading to immediate health complications.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) claims that the exercise, which is meant to verify voter lists, has driven citizens to despair and death, creating panic over fears of deportation to Bangladesh.
The BJP calls it a “routine administrative process” and accuses the ruling party of exploiting tragedy for politics.
Seven deaths and one attempted suicide have been reported till Tuesday, when the booth level officers started the month-long door-to-door visits, from different districts in the state, all allegedly linked to fear over the SIR.
Here are the people from Bengal who have lost their lives in the last eight days.
Jahir Mal (30), Uluberia, Howrah
The seventh reported case came from Uluberia in Howrah, where 30-year-old day labourer Jahir Mal was found hanging at his home on November 3.
His family said he had been “deeply disturbed” about the SIR and feared the consequences of not appearing on the 2002 list.
Police said that the family of the deceased informed the police that he was under severe stress after discovering a spelling error in one of his official documents.
He had visited local offices concerned over the past few weeks in an effort to correct the mistake but was unsuccessful, the officer said.
"Jahir feared that the error could lead to complications in verifying his citizenship or voter eligibility during the SIR process," he said.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee directed minister Pulak Roy to visit the bereaved family.
Roy met the relatives later in the day and assured them of support.
Neighbours confirmed he had been “tense and withdrawn” since the SIR announcement. Police have registered an unnatural death; further details are awaited.
Trinamool cited his case as “further evidence of fear-induced tragedy.”
BJP has maintained that “SIR is routine and harmless.”
Hasina Begum (60), Dankuni, Hooghly
In Hooghly’s Dankuni, Hasina Begum, 60, collapsed and died of a heart attack on November 2 after reportedly attending an SIR meeting two days earlier.
Family members said she was worried because her name did not appear on the 2002 voter list. “She was visibly anxious,” said a neighbour.
Dankuni Municipality chairperson Hasina Shabnam said, “The stress led to her heart attack.”
TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh called it “the suffocating terror BJP has engineered.”
Local BJP leader Debashish Mukhopadhyay countered, “These are natural deaths being used for political mileage. The Chief Minister herself supported the 2002 SIR.”
Sheikh Sirajuddin, Kantabani, Egra, East Midnapore
In East Midnapore’s Egra, hotel owner Sheikh Sirajuddin died of a heart attack on November 2 while discussing a discrepancy in his father’s name on identity documents.
His family said he had been checking papers for SIR when he collapsed. “He panicked when he found the mistake and died soon after,” said a relative.
Former minister Akhil Giri visited the family and blamed “SIR-related anxiety” for his death, saying the BJP and Election Commission had “created an atmosphere of fear.”
BJP leaders denied the connection, calling it “a stretch designed to fan panic.”
Kakoli Sarkar (32), Titagarh, North 24 Parganas
On October 31, 32-year-old homemaker Kakoli Sarkar died by self-immolation on the terrace of her Titagarh home.
Originally from Dhaka, she had lived in India since 2010 after marrying local trader Sabuj Sarkar.
Her mother-in-law said, “She often feared being sent back to Bangladesh because her name wasn’t on the 2002 list. After the SIR was declared, her anxiety grew.”
A suicide note found at the scene read: “No one is responsible for my death. I don’t feel well here. Please take care of my two daughters.”
Police detained her husband and in-laws for questioning and are verifying documents proving her citizenship.
While Trinamool later included her in its list of SIR-related victims, there was no immediate political statement due to the nature of the note. BJP termed it “a personal tragedy being wrongly politicised.”
Bimal Santra (51), Nabagram, Purba Bardhaman
A migrant worker from Purba Bardhaman, 51-year-old Bimal Santra, died in a Tamil Nadu hospital on October 31 after falling ill earlier that week.
His family said he had been under severe stress over whether his name would appear in the voter list.
“My father kept saying he would lose his right to vote. He was scared and sick,” said his son Bapi.
Tamil Nadu police registered an unnatural death. The autopsy was conducted on November 1.
The TMC termed his death “another casualty of BJP’s politics of fear.” Local MLA Ashok Majhi said Santra had been anxious over the SIR and “lost his life due to that fear.”
BJP dismissed the allegation as “ludicrous”, saying no link existed between his illness and the SIR process.
Kshitish Majumdar (95), Ilambazar, Birbhum
In Birbhum, 95-year-old carpenter Kshitish Majumdar, who migrated from Barisal four decades ago, was found hanging at his daughter’s home in Ilambazar on October 31.
His granddaughter said, “Dadu constantly worried that he would be sent back to Bangladesh. He wasn’t on the 2002 list.”
Police Superintendent Amandeep confirmed an unnatural death case and said, “Fear of SIR is the reason for the suicide.” No note was recovered.
Mamata Banerjee reacted: “A 95-year-old man forced to die to prove he belongs — what could wound the nation’s conscience more?”
BJP leaders said the TMC was “politicising personal tragedies.”
Attempted Suicide: Khairul Sheikh (63), Dinhata, Cooch Behar
In Cooch Behar’s Dinhata, farmer Khairul Sheikh consumed pesticide on October 29 after panicking over a spelling error in his name on the 2002 voter roll.
From his hospital bed, he told reporters, “I feared my name would be deleted.” SP Sandip Karra said, “He had been disturbed since the SIR announcement.”
Mamata Banerjee called it part of the BJP’s “politics of hate weaponising citizenship.” BJP leaders said “no one has been targeted by SIR” and accused TMC of spreading fear.
Pradeep Kar (57) Khardah, North 24 Parganas
A 57-year-old bedding trader, Pradeep Kar, was found hanging in his second-floor flat at Mahajyoti Nagar in Khardah on October 28, a day after the chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced SIR in Bengal and 12 other states and Union territories. His family said he was anxious after SIR was announced.
“He spent the entire day talking about NRC and SIR. He kept saying we would be driven out of the country,” said his cousin Samir Kar. Despite having Aadhaar, PAN and voter ID, he reportedly believed his citizenship would be questioned.
A diary recovered from his room contained the line “NRC is responsible for my death”, though relatives questioned whether Kar, who had lost four fingers in an accident decades ago and studied only till class three, could have written it himself. The handwriting has been sent for forensic analysis.
The Barrackpore Police commissioner Murlidhar Sharma confirmed recovery of the note and said Kar had been restless since the SIR announcement.
An FIR was later lodged under Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the BNS following a complaint from his sister-in-law Mousumi Kar, who alleged that “the central government has created an atmosphere of fear in the name of NRC.”
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote on X: “What greater indictment can there be of the BJP’s politics of fear and division?”
Abhishek Banerjee visited the family and blamed home minister Amit Shah and the chief election commissioner. He also urged people to “ask BJP leaders to show their parents’ certificates before demanding yours.”
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said Kar’s name had appeared in the 2002 rolls and that “linking his death to SIR is cruel political propaganda.”
The politics of fear
Mounting a blistering attack on the BJP and the EC, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused them of turning SIR into a political tool for a "silent, invisible rigging" ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
She warned that the fall of the Narendra Modi government would be "inevitable" if even a single eligible voter was deleted from West Bengal's rolls during the SIR conducted by the Election Commission (EC) in the state.
The BJP has rejected all allegations, calling the deaths “unfortunate but unrelated.” Suvendu Adhikari said, “There is no NRC, no deportation.
These are fabricated narratives to create unrest.” Union minister Shantanu Thakur said Hindu refugees were “fully protected under CAA.”