Woman ends life after post-SIR electoral roll lists her ‘under adjudication’

Kolkata, Mar 9 (PTI) A woman on Monday allegedly died by suicide in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal after her name was marked as “under consideration” and the names of her two sons were omitted from the post-SIR voter list published recently.

A police officer said that the incident occurred at Paschim Chandipur village in Baduria subdivision.

According to family members of the deceased, 50-year-old Reena Rani Kundu, the recently published SIR final voter list showed Kundu’s name as “under consideration,” while her sons, Shubhadip and Soumen, were missing from the list.

In the voter list by the EC on February 28, over 60 lakh electors were kept under a category of ‘under adjudication’. Their enumeration forms are currently being screened for ‘logical discrepancies’ by the EC-appointed judicial officers.

“She had been extremely anxious over the past few days because of voter list issues,” a police officer said.

The woman allegedly hanged herself at her residence on Monday afternoon. At the time, her two sons had gone to the Block Development Officer’s office in Baduria with all the necessary documents to clarify their voter status.

“While they were there, they received information that their mother died by suicide at home,” the officer said.

The police sent the body for post-mortem examination, he said, adding that they initiated an investigation into the incident.

Officials said the incident has raised concerns among residents over the voter list verification process under the SIR, where several names are marked “under consideration” or removed pending verification.

The ruling Trinamool Congress has claimed that more than 100 people have died due to anxiety surrounding the SIR since the process began in November last year. PTI SCH NN