DEHRADUN: An 80-year-old man died at the Kaladhungi tehsil office in Nainital district, where he had gone to respond to an objection concerning his inclusion in the electoral roll.
Ibne Hasan, a resident of Ward No. 4 in Kaladhungi, had completed the required formalities under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and was descending the stairs of the two-storey building when he apparently lost his balance.
People at the crowded tehsil complex rushed Hasan to the Community Health Centre in Kaladhungi, where doctors declared him dead.
Monday was the last day for filing replies and disposing of objections under the electoral revision exercise. The deadline had drawn a large number of residents to the government office.
Hasan’s grandson, Saddam Hussain, said the elderly man had never visited the tehsil office before and turned anxious after receiving the notice.
“He was very worried and frightened after the notice arrived,” the family said.
Relatives, however, stressed that Hasan had submitted his response before the tragedy.
The exact cause of death could not be officially established as no post-mortem examination was conducted. The family did not attribute his death to any particular medical condition.
Senior Sub-Inspector Pankaj Joshi said Hasan’s relatives took the body home without an inquest or autopsy.
“The hospital also did not send the police any official intimation regarding the case,” Joshi said.
Tehsildar Pooja Sharma confirmed that Hasan had filed his reply and that his name had been retained in the electoral roll. “The incident occurred after the process had been completed,” Sharma said.
The death has raised concerns among residents and family members over accessibility at the two-storey tehsil building, particularly for elderly people required to appear before officials.
Hasan’s relatives questioned why senior citizens had to climb and descend stairs to complete official formalities.
However, no official has linked the electoral notice or the building’s accessibility conditions to Hasan’s death. Authorities had not announced any inquiry into the incident.
