West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday reiterated her claim that anxiety linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has led to multiple suicides in the state, holding the Election Commission and the central government responsible.
Addressing a programme at Red Road in Kolkata on the birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose, Banerjee said more than 110 people had allegedly died so far due to stress caused by the SIR process. “Every day, three to four people are dying by suicide out of SIR anxiety,” she claimed.
Allegations against Election Commission
The chief minister said the ongoing revision exercise ahead of the Assembly elections was creating fear and uncertainty, particularly among elderly citizens. She alleged that people were being made to stand in queues for five to six hours daily at SIR camps, often in the open.
Banerjee accused the Election Commission of India of raising objections over what she called “illogical discrepancies”, including variations in Bengali surnames that had been accepted for decades. Drawing examples, she said Banerjee and Bandyopadhyay, or Chatterjee and Chattopadhyay, were essentially the same surnames.
‘Icons would face same scrutiny’
She remarked that even national icons such as Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose and B R Ambedkar were being “insulted” under the current system, alleging a conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party against Bengal.
Referring to poet Rabindranath Tagore, she said, “Thakur became Tagore during British rule. If Rabindranath Tagore were alive today, he might have faced the same harassment.”
Concerns over elderly citizens
Banerjee also questioned why elderly people were being asked to produce birth records. “Our mothers cannot tell their exact date of birth. Many from earlier generations do not have documents. Why harass them?” she asked.
The chief minister made similar remarks a day earlier at the Kolkata Book Fair, where her latest book highlighting public distress over the SIR exercise was released.