Kolkata, Oct 29 (NationPress) A 60-year-old man, Khairul Sheikh, residing in Dinhata, located in the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, reportedly attempted suicide by ingesting poison on Wednesday due to his anxiety over the potential deletion of his name from the voters' list amid the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) set to commence on November 4.

Family members disclosed to both the police and media that Sheikh's name appeared in the 2002 voters' list, the last time the SIR was conducted in the state; however, there was a mistake in the spelling of his name.

Concerned about this discrepancy, Sheikh's family indicated he was fearful that the error would lead to his name being removed from the current voters' list.

The new District Police Superintendent, Sandip Karra, confirmed the situation, stating that Sheikh began to panic after the announcement of the SIR by the Election Commission of India earlier this week.

"The police are currently investigating the incident. Sheikh is receiving treatment, and we will speak with him once he recovers to understand his motivations for this act," Karra mentioned.

Avijit Dey, the Trinamool Congress district president for Cooch Behar, expressed that this incident highlights the widespread panic among the public concerning the SIR.

"I have heard that some individuals informed Sheikh that due to the spelling error in the 2002 list, his name would be removed from the voters' list during the new SIR, leading to his deportation to Bangladesh. This fear prompted his suicide attempt," Dey added.

Sukumar Roy, a BJP legislator from the Cooch Behar (Uttar) constituency, stated that regardless of Sheikh's fears, the Trinamool Congress bears responsibility for creating a climate of fear surrounding the SIR.

On the previous day, a 57-year-old man named Pradeep Kar committed suicide in Panihati, located in the North 24 Parganas district, allegedly out of fear of the potential impact of a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal.

The BJP has raised doubts regarding whether the suicide note found near Kar's body was genuinely authored by him and has called for a thorough investigation into the actual circumstances surrounding the suicide.

Both Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, the General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress, accused the BJP and the Union government of instilling fear and division among the populace through the NRC, which has led to a sense of existential doubt, as reflected in Kar's suicide.

From the outset, the leadership of the Trinamool Congress has described the SIR as an indirect strategy by the BJP and the Union government to impose the NRC in West Bengal.