TMC claims 63-year-old man tried to end life in Bengal's Cooch Behar over SIR fear
Cooch Behar (PTI): The TMC on Wednesday claimed that a 63-year-old man in West Bengal's Cooch Behar attempted suicide fearing harassment due to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and accused the BJP and the Election Commission of triggering panic across the state.
Police said Khairul Sheikh, a resident of Jitpur in Dinhata, allegedly consumed poison as "he was anxious over his name being wrongly recorded in the 2002 voter list". He is currently undergoing treatment at the Cooch Behar district hospital.
"We learnt that he was anxious for several days after discovering that his name had been incorrectly recorded in the 2002 voter list," a senior police official told reporters, adding that the exact reason behind his suicide bid would be clear once his condition improves.
The incident comes a day after a 57-year-old man in North 24 Parganas' Panihati allegedly took his own life, leaving behind a note blaming the NRC for his death.
The twin incidents have fuelled fresh political confrontation in the state over the SIR drive.
After meeting the family of the deceased in Panihati, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said, "I have heard that one more person has tried to end his life in Cooch Behar. He is presently hospitalised and under doctor's observation. We wish him a speedy recovery."
The TMC escalated its attack through a strongly worded post on X, saying, "Two lives. Two tragedies. One cause. BJP's politics of hate. How many more lives will it take, Narendra Modi, for you to stop weaponising citizenship?"
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while virtually inaugurating from Kolkata the ‘Saras Mela’ in the Darjeeling Hills, turned towards North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha, and said, "I just heard a person consumed pesticide in your district. Please go to the residence of the person by this evening."
She, however, did not specify or elaborate.
TMC leader Partha Pratim Roy alleged widespread panic among former enclave residents in Cooch Behar, claiming they fear being declared "outsiders in their own land".
"The Commission must take responsibility. Two consecutive incidents show how the SIR is affecting lives," he said.
The BJP has dismissed the allegations, saying the SIR process is a routine exercise to clean the voter rolls.
"The allegations are baseless. They are trying to give a political twist to every incident," a local BJP leader said.
The EC has not yet commented on the controversy.
Police said investigations are underway to determine whether both incidents were linked to the ongoing verification drive.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
