'We wouldn't be here...': Wife, infant die after family meets with accident on way to SIR hearing, husband leaves bodies in morgue to attend it

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• A mother and infant died in Malda while traveling for a voter list SIR hearing.
• The tragedy sparked political blame between TMC and BJP over the SIR process.
• Supreme Court hears Mamata Banerjee's plea against ongoing SIR exercise.

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A tragic road accident in Malda on Friday has reignited debate over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in West Bengal. Mohammad Yasin Ansari, a teacher, lost his wife, Halima Khatun, and their nine-month-old son when the rickshaw they were travelling in overturned while heading to a bus stand to reach an SIR hearing centre, his brother-in-law, Abdur Rahman Ansari, said.

Khatun died on the spot, while the infant succumbed to injuries at a hospital, Abdur added. Both Mohammad Yasin and his wife had been summoned due to discrepancies in their SIR forms.

Speaking about the tragedy that unfolded in Malda, Yasin blamed the Centre and the SIR process for the loss. “We had come for that (SIR hearing) only. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here,” he said.

The incident has triggered a political exchange between the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP-led Centre. Malda's district Youth TMC president Prasenjit Das said, “We strongly condemn the manner in which the Election Commission is subjecting the people to hardships and taking away lives on behalf of the BJP.”

On the other hand, Amlan Bhaduri, a local BJP spokesperson, accused the TMC of politicising the deaths. “TMC leaders want scores of people to die in West Bengal so that they can spread propaganda linking unrelated deaths to SIR.” He added, “TMC leaders don't want a vetted voter list in the state,” while also expressing sorrow over the incident.

The dispute over SIR has extended to the courts. Last week, the Supreme Court began hearing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's plea against the ongoing exercise. Banerjee has claimed that more than 150 people have died so far due to work-related stress stemming from SIR, including a Booth-Level Officer (BLO) who reportedly died from severe stress linked to official directives.