'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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1,850 missing mobile phones recovered as Delhi Police focusses on victim-centric policing
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has recovered 1,850 stolen and lost mobile phones worth around Rs 4 crore in past 40 days under "Mission Reconnect", an initiative aimed at returning phones to their rightful owners in outernorth Delhi, an official said on Saturday.
The recovered phones were traced from different parts of the country, including remote areas, through technical surveillance and sustained field operations, police said, adding that the devices were handed over to their owners during a programme at the Sports Ground, New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp.
The initiative focused on a victim-centric approach and aimed at strengthening public trust through proactive policing and coordinated efforts across states, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami said.
As part of the programme, teams performed 'nukkad nataks' and screened awareness videos on cybercrime, drug abuse prevention, and senior citizen safety, sensitising the public about digital frauds and safety measures, officials said.
The initiative combines technology, investigation and community participation to ensure recovery of lost property and reconnect citizens with their valuables, they added.
