A wave of panic over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has resulted in three deaths across West Bengal. The incidents, reported from North 24 Parganas, Nadia, and Birbhum, involve individuals who were reportedly terrified of the implications of voter verification hearings.
Choyed Sheikh of Hingalganj suffered a cardiac arrest following the arrival of SIR notices for his family members. His daughter stated that the inability of her brother to return from another state for the hearing caused their father fatal stress. In a separate incident in Karimpur, Nadia, Fijur Khan hanged himself after a notice was issued in his wife’s name due to document discrepancies. Local officials have stressed that these hearings are routine and unrelated to deportation, but fear persists. In Rampurhat, Birbhum, Johnny Sheikh was found dead after a large number of notices were served in his neighborhood, leading to a climate of extreme apprehension.