Kolkata, April 6 A man allegedly died by suicide after his name was removed from the electoral rolls in West Bengal following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, police said on Monday.
The deceased has been identified as Anarul Sheikh (32), a resident of Nalhati in Birbhum district.
According to the police, Sheikh was under severe mental stress after discovering that his name had been deleted from the voter list following the publication of the supplementary electoral roll.
The family members alleged that he committed suicide by consuming poison. The villagers are fuming with anger over Sheikh's death. They accused the Election Commission of removing names under the SIR exercise without proper screening. They have also warned that they will boycott the elections if this continues.
According to locals, the deceased Anarul Sheikh, 32, was a resident of ward number 13 of Nalhati Municipality. His name was 'under adjudication' in the voter list until now. After receiving the notice, he submitted all the necessary documents.
Following instructions from the Election Commission, Anarul Sheikh went to the Rampurhat Subdivisional Office to appeal. There, he collapsed due to mental stress, according to the family members. They alleged that Anarul Sheikh committed suicide by consuming poison after returning home. He was rushed to the Nalhati Primary Health Centre after the incident. The doctors there shifted him to another hospital. However, Anarul Sheikh died on the way.
Anarul Sheikh is survived by two sons. After his sudden death, a pall of gloom has descended on the area. The locals alleged that the names of common people are being arbitrarily excluded. Due to that pressure, the lives of the common, innocent people are being lost.
The locals have raised questions about the whole SIR process. They claimed that names are being excluded without proper verification, which is why such tragic incidents are happening. They have also warned of boycotting the elections if the situation does not change.
Meanwhile, the police have sent the body for postmortem examination.
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