SIR stress turns fatal in Bengal: 82-year-old kills self before hearing – 3 deaths in 2 days

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• Three deaths in West Bengal linked to stress over SIR electoral roll hearings
• Elderly and infirm voters forced to queue despite EC guidelines for home visits
• Families say SIR notices' anxiety worsens affected individuals' health

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An 82-year-old man, Durjan Majhi, died after jumping onto railway tracks on Monday morning in West Bengal’s Purulia, barely five hours before he was due to appear for an SIR hearing at the Para BDO office. Majhi, a resident of Para, was run over by a train at around 8.30 am.

Anxiety linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has triggered panic among several voters in West Bengal, with at least three deaths reported over the past two days.

Durjan’s son, Kanai, a daily wage labourer, said the elderly man had been deeply anxious since receiving the hearing notice on December 25. “My father had submitted the SIR form, but his name was missing from the draft voters’ list. His name was there in the 2002 voters’ list. We don’t understand why he was called for a hearing,” Kanai was quoted by TOI as saying. He added that the notice had left his father disturbed and sleepless.

Two more deaths linked to SIR stress

Two other deaths were reported from Howrah and Kalyani, with families blaming stress related to SIR notices. In Howrah’s Amta area, 75-year-old Jamat Ali died at his home on Sunday night, hours after receiving a hearing notice.

District Magistrate P Deepap Priya said the man was already unwell, but his family claimed anxiety over the hearing worsened his condition. “An inquiry is underway,” the DM said.

In Kalyani, 72-year-old Jaharlal Mahato died of cardiac arrest on Monday, nearly 48 hours after attending an SIR hearing. His son Tamaghlal said his father remained distressed after the hearing. “His name was present in the 2002 electoral roll, yet he was called for verification,” he said.

Elderly and ailing voters forced to queue

Despite the Election Commission clarifying that booth-level officers would visit voters aged 85 and above, or those with disabilities, several elderly citizens were seen waiting in long queues at hearing venues.

At Dinhata Block 1 BDO office in Cooch Behar, 96-year-old Nikhil Chandra Sarkar arrived with his family, barely able to walk. “I am the only one in my family who got the notice. I submitted whatever documents I had,” TOI quoted him as saying.

In Katwa, East Burdwan, a 90-year-old bedridden woman, Muktibala Paramanik, was brought to the BDO office. Her grandson called the process “harassment.” East Burdwan DM Ayesha Rani said no written instructions on home hearings had been received, but officials were told not to summon elderly or infirm voters.

The stress was not limited to the elderly. In North 24 Parganas’ Taki, eight-month pregnant Supriya Mondal fell ill while waiting in a long queue at the Basirhat Block II BDO office. Her mother said she collapsed after standing for a long time in the crowd.

In central Kolkata, a woman arrived at a hearing venue carrying her three-month-old baby. Her husband said a small error in filling the enumeration form led to the hearing notice. “A minor mismatch has caused so much trouble,” he said.