Since the Election Commission of India announced the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal last month, the state has witnessed as many as nine deaths, including six suicides, allegedly due to fear, anxiety and stress over being excluded from the voter list.
The latest death was reported on Monday, after a 70-year-old hawker, identified as Shyamal Kumar Saha of Krishnachakpur Mandalpara in Nadia district, allegedly took his own life upon learning that his name was missing from the 2002 voter list.
According to a PTI report citing police, Kumar was reportedly distressed and remained fearful despite possessing all valid documents, including voter card, Aadhaar card, PAN card, and property papers.
"Family members claimed that the deceased had stopped eating food after learning his name was missing from the 2002 voters' list. They also claimed that he had all the valid documents. We have come across the death, but there is no official communication from the family in connection with it," the police said.
Kumar's wife said that he barely ate and worried constantly since the announcement of the SIR of the electoral rolls.
The incident happened just a day after a 27-year-old woman attempted to take her life, along with her minor daughter on Sunday, reportedly out of fear after not receiving a SIR enumeration form.
The woman and her daughter are currently in critical condition at SSKM Hospital's ICU, according to police.
The woman's father said she was visibly distressed and feared being deported after she did not receive the SIR form while all other family members did.
"She was frightened because she had no documents and feared being deported. Out of panic, she consumed poison along with her daughter," he said.
The woman had been living at her parental home in Dhaniakhali for the past six years following a marital dispute.
52-year-old Tarak Saha was found hanging from a tree near his residence in Murshidabad on November 6, days after the booth level officers began door-to-door verification for the SIR.
"According to family members, he had been worried after he came to know that his name was not listed in the 2002 voter roll. Saha was anxious as he did not possess any old document to establish himself as a genuine voter,” a senior police officer was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
30-year-old Jahir Mal, a daily wage labourer from Howrah’s Uluberia was found hanging on November 3. His family said he had been "deeply disturbed" about the SIR and feared not appearing on the 2002 list.
In Hooghly’s Dankuni, a 60-year-old woman identified as Hasina Begum collapsed and died after attending an SIR meeting. Family members said she was worried her name was missing from the voter list.
In East Midnapore's Egra, a man identified as Sheikh Sirajuddin died of a heart attack while verifying documents for SIR, with his family stating that he died during the process.
32-year-old homemaker Kakoli Sarkar died by suicide on October 31, at her home in Titagarh. Originally from Dhaka, Kakoli had lived in India since 2010. Although her "final note" made no mention of the SIR, the ruling Trinamool Congress has alleged that it was the reason behind her decision.
The same day, a 51-year-old migrant worker from Purba Bardhaman, identified as Bimal Santra, died in a Tamil Nadu hospital after falling ill amid stress over the voter list.
95-year-old Kshitish Majumdar, who migrated from Barisal decades ago, was found hanging at his daughter’s home in Ilambazar allegedly after learning that his name was not on the 2002 voter list.
"Dadu constantly worried that he would be sent back to Bangladesh," his granddaughter was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
In Cooch Behar’s Dinhata, a farmer named Khairul Sheikh attempted to end his life by consuming pesticide after panicking over a spelling error in the voter list.
"I feared my name would be deleted,” he told reporters from hoispital bed.
A 57-year-old man identified as Pradeep Kar died by suicide in North 24 Parganas district's Khardah, a day after the Chief Election Commissioner announced the SIR of electoral rolls in the state.
In his "final note," Kar blamed anxiety over the voter roll revisions and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for his decision. His sister-in-law said that Kar was "mentally disturbed" after the announcement of SIR, which he reportedly linked to the NRC.
Coming down heavily on the Election Commission over the deaths and panic surrounding the SIR process, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded that the poll body immediately halt the exercise, describing the situation as a "super emergency."
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Banerjee said, "This is a deliberate attempt to malign people! So many people have died, not a single condolence message by the Election Commission."
"You can cut my throat but don’t cut the name of a single genuine voter," she added.
(With inputs from PTI)