A 65-year-old man died after he fell sick while collecting a notice for a hearing as part of the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll for his son in Cooch Behar on Saturday.

Family members and the Trinamool Congress have alleged that Rahman Bastadar died because of mental stress arising out of the SIR process. Bastadar was a resident of Khaterbari in Paradubi panchayat in the Mathabhanga 2 block.

Sources said an SIR hearing notice related to discrepancies was issued in the name of Aminur, Rahman’s son.

On Saturday morning, Rahman met Chinumuni Mondal, the booth-level officer (BLO) concerned, to collect the notice.

“My father was extremely worried as he learned that a notice had been issued in my brother’s name. He fell ill suddenly as he went to collect the notice,” said Hafizul, the deceased’s elder son.

Preliminary medical opinion suggests Rahman suffered a cardiac arrest.

In an X post, Trinamool said Rahman’s death again exposed “the frightening human cost of @BJP4India’s politics of fear and its stooge, @ECISVEEP’s alarming loss of independence”.

Manoj Ghosh, a district general secretary of the BJP, said Trinamool was “politicising” the death. “If there are discrepancies in names, the EC is correcting them. There is no reason for panic.”