West Bengal SIR Controversy: Woman Consumes Poison with Daughter Over Not Receiving SIR Form; TMC-BJP Face-Off
A heartbreaking incident has emerged from Hooghly district, West Bengal. A 27-year-old woman attempted suicide by consuming poison along with her young daughter. The family says the woman took this horrific step out of fear and stress. She was worried that she had not received the SIR (Special Revision of Voter List) form and would be deported from the country. The incident occurred on Saturday in the Dhaniakhali area.
Both the woman and her daughter have been admitted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata in critical condition. The woman's father stated that while other family members had received the SIR form, his daughter had not, causing her to panic. She had been living at her parents' home for the past six years after a fight with her husband and had been extremely distressed for some time.
TMC-BJP face-off over 'politics of fear'
This incident has created a political storm in Bengal. Local Trinamool Congress MLA Asima Patra directly blamed the BJP for this. She said that BJP leaders' propaganda about the NRC and detention camps is creating fear among the people.
The TMC also issued a statement on X, saying that people are taking their own lives due to the BJP's "fear-mongering politics." The party also cited similar suicides in Birbhum and Bhangar.
The TMC said that due to the Home Minister's "detect, delete, and deport" mission, legitimate citizens living in the area for generations are being forced to provide proof. This atmosphere of fear and anxiety has become deadly.
Questions raised about BLOs and the process
The BJP, meanwhile, rejected these allegations and accused the TMC of obstructing the process. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said that BLOs are supposed to distribute forms door-to-door, but in many places, out of fear of the TMC, they are distributing them from party offices.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh also accused the Election Commission of delaying the SIR. Referring to the 2002 SIR, he said that it took two years, but now, under pressure from the BJP, it is not being conducted systematically. Meanwhile, the police have stated that the investigation is ongoing and the family is being questioned.