What Led to Another Suicide in Bengal Amid SIR Scare?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Fear of deportation can have severe consequences on mental health.
- Bureaucratic errors in documentation can lead to tragic outcomes.
- Community outrage can arise from perceived administrative negligence.
- The political landscape can shift dramatically in response to such incidents.
- Systemic reforms may be necessary to prevent similar tragedies.
Kolkata, Dec 20 (NationPress) A tragic incident has occurred in East Burdwan district, West Bengal, where another individual has taken his life, allegedly due to fears surrounding deportation following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, as reported by the police on Saturday.
The victim, a 53-year-old man named Bhaskar Mukhopadhyay, ended his life by hanging himself, driven by anxiety over potential deportation stemming from discrepancies in his documentation during the SIR exercise. Originally from Chandannagar in Hooghly district, he resided in the Ausgram area of East Burdwan.
Family members revealed that Bhaskar's voter ID inaccurately listed his father-in-law, Subimal Mukhopadhyay, as his parent instead of his biological father, Panchanan Mukhopadhyay. Despite numerous attempts to rectify this mistake, the name remained unchanged on the draft voters' list released by the Election Commission after the initial SIR round.
Sources indicated that he was deeply anxious about the possibility of a hearing and the implications of deportation at his age haunted him. Family members believe this overwhelming fear led him to take such a drastic step.
The shocking incident has stirred the local community. Police officials from Ausgram station were alerted and subsequently discovered the body, initiating a post-mortem examination and registering a case of unnatural death. An investigation is underway.
Ullash Mukhopadhyay, the deceased's son, mentioned, "My father was increasingly frustrated due to the lack of action on his name correction requests, which contributed to his mental distress."
Further expressing discontent, Subimal Sarkar, the father-in-law, criticized the administration for their failure to address repeated requests.
This incident has ignited political discourse within the region. Debu Tudu, a leader of the Trinamool Congress, stated, "The BJP shows indifference to the well-being of the people in Bengal, prioritizing electoral gain over human lives." In contrast, Debjyoti Singha Roy, a local BJP representative, retorted, "The Trinamool Congress has sought to obstruct the SIR initiative from the outset, which is why they are making these claims now."