West Bengal: Woman dies by suicide after voter status marked ‘under adjudication’ in Post-SIR roll

A 50-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Monday after her name was marked as “under adjudication” and the names of her two sons were missing from the recently published post-SIR voter list, police said.

The incident took place in Paschim Chandipur village in Baduria subdivision, a police officer said.

Family members identified the deceased as Reena Rani Kundu, whose name appeared in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral roll under the category “under consideration”, while the names of her sons Shubhadip and Soumen were not included in the list.

The Election Commission released the updated electoral roll on 28 February, placing more than 60 lakh electors under the category “under adjudication”, with their enumeration forms currently being examined by judicial officers for “logical discrepancies.”

According to police, the woman had been under stress for several days over the issue.

“She had been extremely anxious over the past few days because of voter list issues,” the officer said.

Investigators said Kundu allegedly hanged herself at her residence on Monday afternoon.

At the time of the incident, her two sons had reportedly gone to the Block Development Officer’s office in Baduria with documents to clarify their voter status.

“While they were there, they received information that their mother died by suicide at home,” the officer said.

Police have sent the body for post-mortem examination and started an investigation.

Earlier deaths linked to SIR stress

Several deaths have been reported across West Bengal in recent weeks where families have alleged stress related to the SIR voter verification process.

Earlier this month, two men in Jalpaiguri and South 24 Parganas districts were found dead, with their families claiming they were under severe stress after the final voter list placed them in the “under adjudication” category or deleted their names.

In another case, a 43-year-old homemaker in Malda district allegedly consumed pesticide after discovering her name was listed under adjudication in the electoral roll, according to local reports.

Media reports have also documented multiple suicides and stress-related deaths within short spans of time, including incidents where three people allegedly died by suicide within 48 hours after the SIR list publication.

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has claimed that more than 100 people have died due to anxiety related to the SIR exercise since the revision process began in November last year, though the figures remain politically contested.

The incidents have intensified political debate in the state over the electoral roll revision process and its impact on voters whose names were flagged for verification or deletion