Two Deaths in Murshidabad Linked to Voter List Hearing Anxiety
Two people have died in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, with their families pointing to anxiety from voter list hearings as a contributing factor. The incidents occurred in separate villages, raising concerns about the stress associated with the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SIR) process.
First Case: Sabera Bibi of Uttar Latiberpara
Sabera Bibi, a 45-year-old woman from Uttar Latiberpara, fell ill on Wednesday shortly after returning from a hearing at the Lalgola BDO office. She had received a notice citing "logical discrepancies" in her voter details. According to her daughter Samima Khatun, the issue involved a name mismatch.
Samima explained that her mother had been anxious since attending the hearing. Sabera waited in a queue for over three hours, witnessing a large crowd and altercations. After falling ill, she was rushed to Krishnapur Rural Hospital, where doctors declared her dead. The medical cause was a cardiac arrest due to high blood pressure.
Second Case: Putu Seikh of Rameswarpur
In a similar incident, Putu Seikh, a 64-year-old man from Rameswarpur, died of a heart attack on Wednesday. His death occurred while his daughters-in-law were attending hearings at the Shamsherganj BDO office.
Beauty Khatun, his daughter-in-law, stated that Putu had attended an SIR hearing the previous week over a spelling mismatch in the voter list. He had been anxious about the family's names being struck off the list when the daughters-in-law received notices. The stress reportedly contributed to his fatal heart attack.
Political Reactions and Broader Concerns
The deaths have sparked political reactions. Shamsherganj TMC MLA Amirul Islam blamed repeated harassment by the Election Commission and changing guidelines for adding to voters' distress. He argued that such factors are causing unnecessary anxiety among the public.
On the other hand, Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury claimed that Rahul Gandhi had already raised concerns over alleged voter harassment. Chowdhury accused the TMC of engaging in political posturing instead of addressing the core issues. He questioned why the state government is not providing birth and domicile certificates more efficiently to reduce such harassment.
These incidents highlight the human toll of bureaucratic processes, with families grieving losses they link to the stress of voter list hearings. The community is calling for more sensitive handling of such administrative matters to prevent further tragedies.
