Bengal Woman Sets Herself On Fire, Family Alleges Mental Stress Due To SIR

A woman in West Bengal died after allegedly setting herself on fire, with her family claiming she was under mental stress due to the ongoing voter list revision exercise, called Special Intensive Revision (SIR), in the state.

The woman, identified as 40-year-old Mustara Khatun Kazi, was unmarried and used to live alone. Kazi's name appeared in the 2022 voter list, but she was afraid of being delisted, which allegedly caused severe anxiety.

Kazi set herself on fire on Friday night and died by suicide, police sources said.

The family holds the central government responsible for the death of their daughter.

"She was under the fear of the SIR. I would like to hold central government responsible for her death", Kazi's cousin, Kazi Sabirul Islam, told reporters.

Trinamool Congress MP Sayoni Ghosh met Kazi's family on Saturday night in Purba Bardhaman district. Ghosh also held the Bharatiya Janata Party responsible for the death.

At least 40 people, including four Block Level Officers (BLOs), have died in the past one month due to the SIR exercise in West Bengal, the TMC has claimed.

The first stage of the three-level SIR exercise in Bengal is coming to a close. The Election Commission (EC) has identified 18.70 lakh dead voters still existing in the current voters' list, till November 29 evening.

The Trinamool Congress has time and again opposed the SIR, with the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dubbing it "votebandi". She had asserted that she would protect the rights of voters at any cost, even if it meant her "throat getting slashed" for protesting the exercise.

The three-week-long Winter Session of Parliament will begin on Monday, December 1, and the opposition is likely to raise the issue of SIR.