The kin of two people who died in Bengal on Thursday have claimed stress induced by the Election Commission’s special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists as cause of death.
The ruling Trinamool has been highlighting such deaths, the number of which has reached 11 including some suicides.
"Every life lost is a human being crushed by terror, humiliation, and state-sponsored intimidation. Shahabuddin Paik of Kulpi, who died by heart attack after days of relentless mental anguish because his wife’s name had been missing from the 2002 SIR list, is the latest victim to this shameful experiment. His death is predictable. It was preventable. It is unforgivable," TMC posted wrote on X.
In South 24-Parganas Kulpi, 45-year old Shahabuddin Paik complained of chest pain on Thursday morning. The family members took Paik to a local hospital and later admitted him at the Diamond Harbour Government Medical College and Hospital.
Kulpi MLA Jogranjan Haldar and Mathurapur MP Bapi Haldar went to meet the aggrieved family members at the hospital on the instructions of the Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday evening.
“The family members told us he was panicking as his and his wife’s names were missing from the 2002 SIR list. He found there were some discrepancies with his wife’s documents,” said Bapi Haldar. “People are in panic mode because of the way SIR is being conducted.”
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Political leaders have pointed out that the earlier SIR exercise carried out over two decades ago was not linked to citizenship. No enumeration forms were distributed among the voters.
The SIR process was challenged before the Supreme Court after it was announced in Bihar. The case is pending before the Supreme Court which issued several instructions to the Election Commission like the inclusion of Aadhaar card as document for identity verification.
In Birbhum’s Sainthia Biman Pramanik was worried as the SIR electoral roll from 2002 showed his name wrongfully as Pal. He had approached the local councillor of Sainthia Municipality’s ward 14, Pinakilal Dutta.
“He met me a number of times about the discrepancy. I had assured him that he need not worry. He was still stressed over the outcome,” Dutta said.
The deceased’s younger brother Bidhan said he had also spoken with the booth level officer appointed by the EC for the enumeration process.
On Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee led a protest rally against the SIR process in the heart of Calcutta. The chief minister who was handed over her enumeration form at her 30B Harish Chatterjee Street residence has refused to fill the form.
“As long as each and every voter of Bengal do not fill their forms, I am not going to submit my form,” Mamata wrote on her official Facebook page on Thursday.