Fresh concerns have emerged in West Bengal after three deaths were reported from Murshidabad, Malda and North 24 Parganas, with families alleging that anxiety linked to Special Investigation Report (SIR) hearing notices played a key role in the tragedies.
In Murshidabad’s Kandi, 32-year-old migrant worker Ibrahim Sheikh died by suicide at his workplace in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. His wife, Roksana Biwi, had been standing in a queue at an SIR hearing centre since morning, carrying her husband’s documents to appear on his behalf, when she received a phone call informing her of his death.
Family alleges notice caused extreme distress
Ibrahim’s relatives said he had been deeply distressed after receiving an SIR notice. “He kept saying there was a mistake in the papers. He repeatedly asked whether he would be allowed to return to India,” said Rahmat Sheikh, a family member. According to police, the notice was generated due to discrepancies between voter lists of 2002 and 2025 related to Ibrahim’s father.
Kandi MLA Apurba Sarkar and police officials visited the family following the incident.
Similar death reported from Malda
In a separate case from Malda district, 55-year-old daily wage labourer Sk Sariful of Nurpur died on Tuesday morning, the same day his sons were scheduled to appear for an SIR hearing. Family members said the notice was issued because their EPIC cards listed their father’s name as “Sariful” instead of “Sk Sariful”.
According to relatives, Sariful feared deportation, visited multiple offices seeking corrections, stopped eating and gradually withdrew from conversation in the days leading up to his death.
Elderly man dies under stress in North 24 Parganas
Another death was reported from Hingalganj in North 24 Parganas, where 71-year-old Ajagar Biswas died on Monday night. While no notice had been issued in his name, three members of his family had received hearing notices. His son, Abu Bakkar Biswas, said his father remained under constant stress over the family’s future.
Local panchayat representatives said a large number of residents in Muslim-majority areas have received notices due to discrepancies or linking failures, fuelling widespread fear and uncertainty.