A 43-year-old homemaker who had consumed pesticide after finding that her name was listed as “under adjudication” in the preliminary “final” electoral roll died at the Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) on Monday evening.
The final roll had been published by the Election Commission on Saturday.
The deceased, Hazera Bibi, was a resident of Shitalpur village in the Harishchandrapur 2 block of Malda district.
“After discovering that her name was still under adjudication, she broke down and consumed poison on Sunday,” the relative alleged.
Tajmul Hossain, minister of state based in Malda, alleged that the EC’s “whimsical” decision to keep a large number of voters under adjudication had created widespread fear. “The irresponsibility of the EC has led to this tragic death. The BJP has unfortunately influenced the EC,” Hossain said while visiting the victim’s home.
Demonstration
On Tuesday morning, nearly 100 residents of Salalpur village in Tulshihata panchayat in the Harishchandrapur 1 block staged a demonstration in front of the residence of Munabbar Hossain, the booth level officer (BLO) of booth 86 in the Harishchandrapur Assembly constituency.
Protesters, including Masum Sultan, Manwar Hossain, Rizia Bibi and Sahebi Khatun, held placards reading “Boycott Assembly Elections.” They claimed that 540 out of 1,291 voters in their booth had been placed under the “under adjudication” category.
“A particular community has been severely affected during the SIR process. We submitted all necessary documents during the hearings and were assured they were sufficient. Yet our names have again been marked under adjudication,” one protester alleged.
The demonstrators warned that they would boycott the upcoming Assembly elections if their grievances were not addressed.
The BLO himself claimed that his name had been listed under adjudication. “I submitted all required documents to the BDO as per EC instructions. However, all those who were summoned for hearings have been marked under adjudication in the final electoral roll,” he said.
