Man Dies After Consuming Pesticide, Family Blames Electoral Roll Revision Anxiety

A 58-year-old man from West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district died after allegedly consuming pesticide, with his family attributing his distress to issues arising from the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, police reported on Wednesday.

The deceased, Sofiqul Mondal, a resident of Jadurhati Purba under the Baduria Police Station area, had recently checked the 2002 voters' list following the commencement of the SIR exercise in the district.

“According to the family, while Mondal’s name appeared on the electoral roll, several of his family members were missing from the list. This caused him severe distress and fear of possible displacement,” a senior officer from Basirhat Police District said.

Mondal reportedly consumed pesticide on Tuesday. His family found him unconscious and immediately took him to a local hospital. He was later referred to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where he was declared dead the same day.

On Wednesday morning, Baduria TMC MLA Kazi Abdur Rahim Dilu visited the family, spoke with relatives, and assured them of support.

In recent weeks, similar cases linked to anxiety over the SIR process have been reported in several districts, including North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Birbhum, and Nadia.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated the SIR exercise across multiple states, including West Bengal. The door-to-door verification drive is aimed at updating electoral rolls by removing duplicates, deleting names of deceased voters, and including newly eligible voters.

With PTI inputs