Murshidabad man dies by suicide over 'SIR fear'; TMC escalates attack on Centre, calls exercise 'silent invisible rigging'

New Delhi: A man in West Bengal's Murshidabad district allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday after consuming pesticide, reportedly out of fear of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has accused the BJP-led central government of using the SIR process to intimidate voters. The party has alleged eight deaths due to SIR in the state.

The deceased, identified as Mohan Sheikh, a resident of Bagdanga area under Ward No 12 of Kandi Municipality, allegedly consumed pesticide on Tuesday morning fearing action under the SIR. According to family members, Sheikh had been anxious for several days after learning that his name had been missing from the voters' list since 2002.

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"He was terrified that he might have to leave his home or even the country," a relative said. After consuming pesticide in a nearby field, locals rushed him to Kandi Sub-Divisional Hospital, but as his condition deteriorated, he was referred to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital, where he died on the way.

The incident comes amid growing tensions over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which began on Tuesday across nine states and three Union territories.

Earlier in the day, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the BJP-led Centre was using the SIR process to "intimidate and disenfranchise ordinary voters".

Addressing a massive rally in central Kolkata, Banerjee said, "Be it demonetisation or furnishing documents of citizenship, Modi has always tried to impose his diktats on the poor and middle class. We won't bow down to the zamindars of Delhi."

Claiming that "so many Bengalis" had died due to fear of the SIR, Banerjee warned that the TMC would take its protest to New Delhi if the Centre did not act responsibly. "If we can gather such a huge crowd in two days, imagine our turnout in Delhi," he said.

The rally was the latest in the TMC's campaign against what it terms "Silent Invisible Rigging", alleging that the SIR process is being misused to delete genuine voters.

Meanwhile, the EC said the SIR was a routine exercise aimed at updating and cleaning electoral rolls ahead of next year's elections. Booth-level officers (BLOs), the EC said, had started distributing semi-filled enumeration forms and would assist voters in completing them.

According to the official schedule, the enumeration phase will continue until December 4, followed by the release of draft electoral rolls on December 9. The final voter list is slated for publication on February 7, 2026.