A 57-year-old taxi driver in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district has allegedly died by suicide, marking the fifth such death in the district linked to distress over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. The incident has sparked political outrage and renewed scrutiny of the electoral verification process.
Family's Voter List Exclusion Leads to Tragedy
The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Khatim, a resident of Chunabhati in the Fulbari area. According to his family members, Khatim was under severe mental duress after discovering that the names of five members of his household, including his own, were missing from the 2002 voter list. This omission led to their exclusion from the ongoing SIR list, despite the family possessing older documents proving their long-term residency in the area.
Khatim, who held a valid driving licence since 1998 and worked as a taxi driver, reportedly attended an SIR hearing on December 31. Following this, his anxiety peaked, and he stopped going to work. His son, Mohammad Shahid, revealed the depth of his father's distress. "My father could not sleep due to anxiety over SIR," Shahid said. He emphasized that while his father's name was absent from the 2002 list, the family had lived there for generations, with his grandfather's and uncle's names correctly featured.
A Missing Person Case Turns Fatal
Police reported that Khatim went missing on Monday. A search ensued, and on Tuesday, his body was discovered hanging from a tree near his family home. The local administration was promptly informed of the tragic discovery.
In an emotional statement, Khatim's son placed the blame squarely on the system. "We lost my father because of the SIR exercise. The BJP is responsible," Shahid asserted, highlighting the political tension surrounding the voter list revision process in the state.
Political Leaders React, Death Toll Rises to Five
The incident drew immediate political attention. Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb and TMC Dabgram-Fulbari block president Dilip Roy visited the grieving family. Mayor Deb connected this death to a broader pattern, stating, "With this incident, five people allegedly died in Jalpaiguri district due to SIR-related anxiety."
He called for accountability from the Election Commission of India. "The Election Commission must take full responsibility," Deb declared. He assured the family of the party's support, adding that they would inform West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about the matter.
This case underscores the intense human cost and psychological pressure associated with bureaucratic processes like voter list revisions, especially in politically sensitive regions. It raises serious questions about the implementation and communication of the SIR exercise, which has now been linked to multiple alleged suicides in Jalpaiguri district alone.
