CAA: Fearing denial of citizenship, Bengal youth dies by suicide

Kolkata: The death of a young man in his early 30s on Thursday caused a political uproar in Kolkata regarding the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The man's relatives claimed he committed suicide because he was afraid the new act would "snatch away" his citizenship and send him to a detention camp. The man was found hanging with a rope tied around his neck.

According to police, Debasis Sengupta, a resident of the Netaji Nagar neighbourhood of south Kolkata, went to his relatives' home in the adjoining Subhashnagar neighbourhood and hung himself, the New Indian Express reported.

The BJP blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the incident, accusing her of inciting panic about the CAA's implementation, in response to the ruling TMC's claim that the tragedy resulted from the Centre's decision to execute it.

A team of five ministers was dispatched by the TMC high command to meet with Debasish's family. The incident would be the main campaign plank for the TMC against the BJP and the CAA in the next Lok Sabha elections, according to sources within the ruling party.

According to Debasish's family, the unemployed young man has been experiencing panic attacks ever since the CAA's implementation was announced. He was especially concerned for his father Tapan Sengupta, who immigrated from Bangladesh but does not have official paperwork of his migration.

“Citing his incorrect date of birth mentioned in the e-PIC card, Debasis was in fear that he would be sent to a detention camp,” said one of the relatives.

An aunt of the deceased reported that during the 2019 Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise, he began to experience anxiety about losing his citizenship. “Citing thousands of people in Assam who were left out of the NRC’s final list, Debasish would fear that he would be sent to a detention camp. We made him understand that nothing of this sort would happen. But since the day of the announcement of the CAA’s implementation, he became panicky again. Since he had no birth certificate and proof of his father’s migration from Bangladesh, his fear became more intense,” she said.

TMC spokesperson Arup Chakrabarty stated that although the party had no clue that such a tragedy would occur, it was concerned that the controversial act would put thousands of lawful people in Bengal in distress. “Now don’t know how many such deaths we will have to witness in Bengal and across the country as well,” he said.

BJP spokesperson Pranay Roy criticised the chief minister of West Bengal and said Mamata Banerjee should be held accountable for abetting young people in taking their own lives. “The CAA is to give citizenship, not take away. It was the chief minister who spread fear among the people of the state saying the new act would snatch their citizenship and send them to concentration camps. The youth is a victim of her false campaign against the CAA,” said Roy.