Kolkata: A 41-year-old man in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district allegedly died by suicide after discovering that his name had been placed under the “adjudication” category in the final electoral rolls published following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, police said on Wednesday.
The deceased, identified as Rafiq Ali Ghazi, was a resident of the Magrahat area. Officers from Ushti Police Station recovered his body late Tuesday night from his residence. He was found hanging from a ceiling fan with a noose around his neck. The body has been sent to Diamond Harbour Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination.
According to family members, Ghazi had been under severe stress since receiving notice during the SIR process. He had submitted the required documents and informed his family about the developments. However, after checking the final electoral rolls released on February 28, he reportedly became distressed upon seeing that his name appeared under the adjudication category.
On the evening of Dol Yatra, Ghazi was alone at home while other family members were out. When they returned, they found him hanging and alerted the police, who subsequently recovered the body.
Ghazi’s wife expressed anger at the Election Commission, holding the stress related to the voters’ list status responsible for the tragic incident.
A local resident told the media that Ghazi had been deeply worried about his and his family’s future after the publication of the final list. The resident added that several others in the area were also listed under the same category and urged authorities to review the matter and support the bereaved family.
It has been learnt that the names of Ghazi and five members of his family fall under the adjudication category. Additionally, 111 residents of booth number 141 in the area are reportedly listed under the same classification.
With IANS inputs