Kolkata, Feb. 16 -- "How many more lives must be broken before this SIR drama ends?" the Trinamool Congress (TMC) questioned after another death allegedly linked to the Special Intensive Revision process was reported from Dankuni in Hooghly.
A 68-year-old puffed rice seller, Sheikh Anwar, a resident of Ward No. 20 in Dankuni, allegedly died following repeated summons for SIR hearings. According to his family members, Anwar had been summoned four times by election officials. Each time, he was reportedly asked to submit fresh documents. During the last visit, he was allegedly instructed to collect five signatures from local residents.
Family members claimed that the repeated notices caused severe anxiety. Sheikh Samsuddin, who runs a stationery shop adjacent to Anwar's stall, said, "He was summoned four times. Naturally he was under immense stress. This led to his death."
On Sunday morning, Anwar reportedly complained of physical unease at his residence and later passed away.
The ruling party alleged that despite submitting all necessary documents, Anwar was repeatedly summoned and subjected to continuous harassment. "Despite submitting all documents, he was summoned four times and subjected to continuous harassment. The stress and fear pushed him to lose his life," the party stated, reiterating its criticism of what it described as the hurried nature of the SIR process.
With the alleged death toll linked to the process crossing 150, the latest incident has intensified the political debate. In a social media post, the ruling party wrote, "Bengal will not forgive those who turned a voter verification process into a campaign of death."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.