'SIR panic': Mamata announces Rs 2 lakh aid for 39 deceased; BJP accuses TMC of 'terrorising' BLOs
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of 39 people who, she claimed, died due to "SIR-induced panic", including several suicide cases reported since the SIR of electoral rolls began last month.
Thirteen others, including three booth-level officers (BLOs) who allegedly collapsed under "excessive workload", will also receive Rs 1 lakh each, she said.
The opposition BJP, however, rejected the state's claims of SIR-linked citizen deaths as "politically motivated", and alleged that the ruling party was terrorising the BLOs.
Banerjee, after presenting her government's 14-year development report card at the state secretariat Nabanna, said the rollout of the revision exercise on November 4 triggered "widespread fear" among ordinary citizens who believed their names could be struck off the voters' list arbitrarily.
"Till now, 39 ordinary citizens, including four BLOs, have died due to SIR panic, including suicides. Their families will be provided with financial assistance. We will not let people be traumatised or intimidated," the chief minister said.
According to officials, the first suicide allegedly linked to SIR anxiety occurred on the inaugural day of the exercise when Pradip Kar, a resident of Khardah in North 24 Parganas, ended his life.
Subsequent fatalities reported during the enumeration phase include nearly half due to suicide and the rest due to cardiac arrest or brain strokes.
Banerjee also referred to deaths of BLOs purportedly caused by "work pressure", stating that four such families had already been provided Rs 2 lakh each.
But as the Trinamool Congress government sought to attribute the deaths to "panic triggered by the Centre's weaponisation" of the revision process, the opposition BJP hit back, accusing the ruling party of running an intimidation regime that has left BLOs "terrorised".
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari dismissed the state's claims of SIR-linked citizen deaths as "politically motivated", insisting that the ruling party was trying to "cash in on human tragedies".
"Any death is sad. But the TMC is politicising it for political gain. If a person dies due to normal health issues, TMC links it to SIR. These deaths are unrelated to the voter list revision," he said.
He rejected allegations that the Election Commission's SIR exercise was overburdening field staff and countered that it was the TMC that had unleashed pressure on BLOs.
"If someone is putting inhuman pressure on BLOs, it is the TMC and its local cadres, not the EC. They have been openly threatening BLOs and forcing them to manipulate voter rolls so the SIR exercise becomes ineffective. If any BLOs have died, it is because of TMC's terror politics," Adhikari alleged.
He also cited an incident in Murshidabad, claiming that the husband of a BLO was "fighting for life after a deadly attack by Trinamool Congress workers".
"The BLOs are hijacked. They have been compromised. They are common people doing government jobs. How far can they tolerate?" he asked.
The SIR, a periodic exercise mandated by the Election Commission to update electoral rolls, has acquired steep political overtones in Bengal amid the approaching 2026 Assembly polls.
The TMC has repeatedly accused the BJP-led Centre of using the process to strike off minority and rural votes, a charge the Commission has denied.
Political observers recall that similar tensions had erupted during the NRC and CAA agitations in 2019-20, when fears of disenfranchisement triggered statewide protests.
The TMC has attempted to revive that narrative, presenting the SIR as another attempt at "voter deletion", while the BJP has framed the ruling party's campaign as an attempt to shield "bogus voters" and block the clean-up of rolls.
The latest war of words comes at a time when BLOs , the foot soldiers of India's electoral machinery, have become central figures in the political slugfest, often caught between competing pressures of administrative duty and local political networks.
Banerjee said her government would "stand by every affected family", while reiterating allegations that the Centre was "weaponising a routine revision process" to create fear.
"The state will support every affected citizen. We will not allow people to be traumatised or intimidated," she asserted.
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SIT formed to probe second sexual assault case against expelled Cong MLA Mamkootathil
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe a second case of sexual assault against expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, police officials said on Friday.
The SIT will be led by G Poonguzhali, Assistant Inspector General at the Police Headquarters.
The team also includes a DSP rank officer and sub-inspectors, officials added.
The second sexual assault complaint was received by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, which it forwarded to the state police chief.
ALSO READ: Cong expels rape-accused MLA Mamkootathil from party's primary membership
Following this, the Crime Branch registered a case and launched an investigation.
Crime Branch officials said the email complaint contained only the sender's email ID and no other contact details.
As part of the probe, they have sent a reply email requesting that the complainant contact them and provide her statement.
The complainant has alleged that she was sexually assaulted under the false promise of marriage, a Crime Branch official said.
However, details such as the location and date of the alleged incident are not currently available to the police.
The SIT will attempt to trace the sender of the email and record her statement, which is crucial for further investigation, the officer said.
Mamkootathil was expelled from the Congress party on Thursday after a court here rejected his anticipatory bail petition in another rape case.
Police said he is currently absconding, and a manhunt is underway in Kerala and neighbouring states.
