A 52-year-old man from West Bengal's East Burdwan district has died by suicide, with his family alleging that distress over an uncorrected error in his voter identification card was the reason behind the extreme step.
Family Alleges Voter ID Distress Led to Tragedy
The incident occurred in Kalyanpur, Ausgram, on Wednesday. The deceased has been identified as Bhaskar Mukherjee. According to his family, Mukherjee was deeply troubled because his voter ID card incorrectly listed his father's name as Subimal Mukherjee instead of the correct name, Panchanan Mukherjee.
The family stated that despite multiple attempts, Bhaskar Mukherjee could not get the crucial correction made in the official document. This persistent issue reportedly caused him significant mental anguish.
SIR Process and Unfounded Fears
Complicating the matter was the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The family revealed that while Mukherjee's name did appear in the draft roll published after the SIR exercise, he remained anxious.
His specific worry, as conveyed by the family, was about how he would explain the discrepancy in his father's name if he were ever called for a hearing regarding his voter identity. This unfounded fear is believed to have compounded his distress.
Police Investigation Underway
East Burdwan's Superintendent of Police, Sayak Das, confirmed that the family members verbally informed the police about Mukherjee's distress stemming from the SIR-related problem. They indicated that a formal complaint would be lodged after completing the final rites of the deceased.
The local police have registered a case of unnatural death and have sent the body for a postmortem examination to determine the exact cause of death. The investigation is in its preliminary stages.
This tragic incident in Ausgram has highlighted the severe impact that bureaucratic errors and the perceived difficulty in correcting them can have on individuals, leading to calls for more citizen-friendly grievance redressal mechanisms in vital documentation processes.
