Bengal: Man dies of stroke; row erupts over voters' list status

Kolkata, March 2 (IANS) A 28-year-old man died of a stroke in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, with his family alleging that he had been under stress after his name was placed in the “under adjudication” category in the final electoral rolls published following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Tension prevailed on Monday in Dhalla village under Alunda panchayat in Suri after news of the death spread.

The deceased has been identified as Sheikh Kamrul (28), a contractual worker and the sole breadwinner of his family. He is survived by his parents, wife and two minor children.

According to family members, Kamrul became anxious after finding that his name had been placed in the “under adjudication” category in the final electoral roll, while his wife’s name figured in the “approved” category.

His family claimed that he returned home on Sunday night visibly worried about the development.

His mother alleged that he had been under pressure for some time due to the SIR process and had been complaining of headaches.

Zanzahara Bibi said, “My son was under pressure for a long time because of the SIR. He had been suffering from headaches. The situation worsened on Sunday night. He was taken to Suri Sadar Hospital, where doctors said he had suffered a stroke. He was referred to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital. But before he could be taken there, he passed away.”

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that the youth’s death was linked to fear and stress caused by the SIR exercise and criticised the BJP and the Election Commission over the issue.

Suri I Panchayat Samiti Executive Director Arif Hossain visited the bereaved family and said that the names of 230 residents of Dhalla village had been placed under the “under adjudication” category.

“They are all terrified. A working youth has died. The Election Commission is responsible for this and the BJP cannot evade responsibility,” he said, adding that his party would stand by the deceased’s family.

The BJP, however, rejected the allegations, stating that the TMC had a tendency to attribute deaths due to illness to the SIR process.

A local BJP leader said, “There is nothing more to say. A death is tragic, but politicising it is even more unfortunate.”

--IANS

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