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New Delhi: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal has reportedly sprung a surprise. The exercise led to the return of a man whose family residing in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, had long believed him to be dead.
Sharif Ahmad, a 79-year-old man, had been untraceable since 1997 and reportedly relocated to West Bengal after his second marriage, following the death of his first wife, PTI reported.
But, he returned home on December 29, 2025, to collect his documents for the SIR in West Bengal, the report said, citing his nephew, Waseem Ahmad.
Waseem reportedly said that they tried to find Sharif and over the years, they even went to West Bengal and checked the address given by his second wife, but every attempt to locate him went in vain. As he couldn't be contacted or traced, his family, including four daughters, presumed him to be dead.
However, he threw a surprise for everyone when he reemerged after so many years, courtesy the SIR exercise for which he required papers from his home.
It was deeply emotional reunion for the family. With it came the realisation of many personal losses, including the deaths of his father, brother, and several other close family members. Waseem said the reunion made everyone happy in the family. “Seeing him after so many years was a deeply moving experience for all of us,” Waseem said.
After his brief visit, Sharif returned to his home in Medinipur district, West Bengal, where he lives with his family. He returned to Medinipur to complete the SIR formalities.
The election panel’s SIR directions issued on October 27 asked voters to submit forms to trace themselves or a family member in the electoral roll from the last intensive revision carried out in West Bengal in 2002.
Voters were required to be “mapped” to the 2002 electoral roll, either by their own inclusion or through a relative listed on that roll, so that they can remain eligible to vote in the future.
