Tension after receiving notice under SIR, elderly man dies of heart attack; family allegation

KolkataAn elderly man died in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, after his family alleged that anxiety over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls led to a heart attack, which led to his death. The police gave this information on Wednesday. A senior police officer said that the deceased has been identified as Sahar Ali Mandal. He was one of five members of a family who received a notice for hearing on Wednesday under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the official said. The incident took place at Madartala village, east of Haroa, on Tuesday night, the official said. Family members claim that Mandal was under severe mental stress after receiving the notice, worried about the status of his sons’ names in the voter list and possible legal or administrative implications. The incident has turned into a political controversy, with the ruling Trinamool Congress alleging that fear over the SIR process has led to several deaths across the state. Local panchayat member Swapan Mandal of Trinamool Congress demanded an immediate stop to the SIR process and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicizing the process through the Election Commission. The BJP rejected these allegations and denied any link between the SIR process and the death.