TMC's Abhishek Banerjee slams SIR as BJP's plot to 'select voters', warns of massive protest
Kolkata (PTI): TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday launched a fierce attack on the BJP and the EC over the announcement of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal, alleging the exercise was designed to "exclude" genuine voters and tilt the political balance ahead of the 2026 state polls.
Describing the initiative as "Silent Invisible Rigging (SIR)", he claimed that it was designed to manipulate the electorate.
Claiming that the order for SIR was dictated by the ruling party at the Centre, Banerjee said, "The BJP's allied organisation has announced SIR yesterday. This process is not about inclusion but exclusion."
Accusing the BJP of subverting democratic norms, he said, "Earlier, people used to elect the government. Now, this BJP government wants to select who will vote or not."
The Diamond Harbour MP questioned why the EC was raising concerns about discrepancies in the voter list just 18 months after the Lok Sabha elections.
"If there are discrepancies in electoral rolls, then the Lok Sabha should be dissolved and fresh elections should be held," he said.
Banerjee, considered number two in the TMC, also dismissed the allegation that infiltration from Bangladesh and the entry of Rohingyas into Bengal necessitated the revision.
"Five Northeast states share borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar. Then why is SIR being announced only in West Bengal citing presence of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas?" he asked.
Challenging the poll panel's timeline for the verification exercise, the TMC leader said, "In 2002, SIR was held in Bengal over a span of two years. How will the EC complete this mammoth task within one or two months?"
He alleged that the EC was seeking to "take control of the state administration so that the government can't function" ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
The TMC leader also held Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar responsible for the death of a man in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Tuesday morning allegedly due to panic over citizenship issues.
"Pradeep Kar a resident of Panihati died due to anxiety because of ongoing NRC threat and for this Amit Shah and Gyanesh Kumar are responsible. In his suicide note he has blamed anxiety over NRC and SIR as the reason. An FIR should be filed against them," he said.
Issuing a warning, Banerjee said, "If the name of a single eligible voter is eliminated from the voter list, then one lakh people from Bengal will hold dharna outside the EC office in New Delhi."
Despite his objections, he asserted that the TMC would only emerge stronger. "Despite this SIR, we will increase our seat tally in this election too. This is my challenge to BJP," Banerjee said.
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J’khand: All 7 on board air ambulance killed in crash, bodies brought to hospital for post-mortem
Ranchi (PTI): All seven persons on board an air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, and their bodies have been brought to a hospital for post-mortem examination, officials said on Tuesday.
The Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was en route to Delhi from Ranchi when it crashed on Monday evening in the Bariatu Panchayat area of Simaria, located deep inside a forest, killing all seven onboard, including two pilots.
"We have brought all the seven bodies for post-mortem at Sadar Hospital, Chatra. The crash is being investigated," an official told PTI.
ALSO READ: Air ambulance with 7 onboard to Delhi from Ranchi crashes in Jharkhand's Chatra
The aircraft took off from Ranchi airport at 7.11 pm and went missing around 7.30 pm. It lost contact with the air traffic control about 20 minutes after departure, he said.
Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar said inclement weather could be a possible reason behind the crash, though the exact cause would be ascertained after a detailed probe.
Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari said the state government will conduct a probe into how permission was given to the aircraft to fly during “inclement weather”. He also said proper compensation would be given to the kin of the deceased.
Terming the crash extremely unfortunate, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth said unpleasant weather could be one of the reasons, which will be determined by the probe.
In a post on X, former chief minister and BJP leader Champai Soren said he was deeply saddened.
The deceased have been identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar.
Meanwhile, a lingering sense of grief prevailed in Chatra district, as the near and dear ones of those killed in the crash expressed shock and disbelief.
Bajrangi Prasad, the father of deceased Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, said he had sold all his land to make his son a doctor, who was posted at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi.
"He has a seven-year-old son... He was meritorious and had completed his MBBS from Odisha’s Cuttack," Prasad, who hails from Bihar’s Aurangabad district, said.
Family members of Sanjay Kumar (41), however, blamed the “poor” health infrastructure behind the tragedy.
"Had we given proper treatment to my brother-in-law Sanjay in Ranchi, precious lives could have been saved. I lost both both Sanjay and sister Archana Devi in the incident," Kumar said.
Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G had earlier told PTI that the bodies of all seven deceased were retrieved from the crash site and shifted to Chatra hospital for post-mortem examination.
In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the Beechcraft C90 aircraft (VT-AJV) was operating a medical evacuation flight on the Ranchi-Delhi sector when it crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district.
“The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata at 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi,” it said, adding that there were seven people on board, including two crew members.
An Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team has been dispatched to the crash site.
According to the DGCA website, Delhi-based non-scheduled operator Redbird has six aircraft in its fleet, including the one that crashed.
Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, told PTI that the air ambulance was arranged by one of their patients.
"The patient, Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Chandwa in Latehar district, was brought to the hospital with 65 per cent burn injuries on February 16. He was being treated in the hospital," he said.
The family members decided to take him to Delhi for better treatment, Sinha said.
"They arranged for an air ambulance on Monday. The patient left the hospital for Delhi around 4.30 pm," he said.
