KOLKATA – Three individuals in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, Nadia, and Birbhum districts have reportedly died due to intense anxiety surrounding Special Intensive Revision (SIR) voter hearings. Authorities confirmed on Monday that two of these deaths were suicides, while one was a fatal heart attack. Families of the deceased have pointed to the stress caused by SIR notices as the primary trigger.
In North 24 Parganas’ Hingalganj, 62-year-old Choyed Sheikh died of a heart attack after his children received notices regarding inconsistencies in their voter records. His daughter, Anjura Bibi, noted that her father was particularly worried because her brother, a migrant worker, could not attend the hearing. In Nadia, resident Fijur Khan committed suicide after his wife received a notice; rumors of potential deportation to Bangladesh allegedly fueled his fear. Meanwhile, in Birbhum, a train vendor named Johnny Sheikh took his own life, with relatives citing the widespread distribution of SIR notices in his ward as the cause of his distress.