Elderly man dies by suicide in West Bengal, family alleges fear over voter list revision
Kolkata (PTI): An elderly man from West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipore district allegedly died by suicide in Birbhum after being reportedly distressed over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, his family claimed on Thursday.
This is the second such death reported in West Bengal in the past 72 hours, following a similar incident at Panihati near Kolkata. A farmer in Cooch Behar, who tried to end his life, is currently admitted to hospital.
According to police, the deceased, identified as Kshitish Majumdar, was found hanging at his daughter’s residence in Illambazar area of Birbhum district on Wednesday night.
"The old man was found hanging from the ceiling of one of the rooms of his daughter's residence here in Illambazar. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination. His family alleged that the person was under severe stress, fearing exclusion following the voter list verification process," a police officer claimed.
Family members claimed that Majumdar had been anxious after learning that his name was missing from the 2002 electoral rolls.
"He would often say that since his name was not there in the 2002 voter list, would he have to go back to Bangladesh?" a family member said, adding that he had been mentally disturbed over the matter.
Police have registered an unnatural death case and begun an investigation.
No official statement has yet been issued by the Election Commission regarding the incident.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Annpurna Devi expresses anguish over girl's rape in TN, urges NCW to act
New Delhi (PTI): Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi on Tuesday expressed her anguish over the alleged gang rape of a girl in Tamil Nadu and urged the National Commission for Women to take immediate cognisance of the matter.
In a post on X, Devi said, "Deeply anguished by this horrific incident. I urge the NCW to take immediate cognisance and act swiftly in coordination with the concerned authorities to ensure the strictest action against all culprits."
Devi said, "Justice must be swift and unsparing — the accused must be brought to book without delay," adding, "the safety, dignity, and justice of every daughter of India remain our highest priority."
"We stand firmly with the survivor and her family in this difficult hour," she said.
Reacting to a post by former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, who flagged concerns over the law and order situation in the state, Devi said such incidents "expose grave concerns" under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government.
Annamalai, in his post, alleged that a 15-year-old girl from Kanchipuram, who had come to participate in a temple festival near Seyyaru in Tiruvannamalai district, was gangraped.
He said the incident was "deeply shocking and enraging" to him and alleged that such crimes point to a "complete failure" of law and order in Tamil Nadu.
Annamalai demanded immediate arrest of all those involved and the "harshest punishments" for the accused.
He also called for full protection and mental health counselling for the survivor and her family.
