Poll body rejects complaints over ‘SIR deaths’ in Bengal, calls allegations baseless

The Election Commission on Tuesday rejected complaints filed against the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal over the deaths of two elderly voters allegedly linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision process, calling the allegations intimidatory and baseless.

In a statement posted on X, the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal said the complaints appeared to be a deliberate attempt to intimidate officials carrying out statutory duties. The statement said the allegations were “premeditated, unsubstantiated, and a crude attempt to browbeat officers tasked with discharging statutory duties in connection with SIR 2026”.

The poll body added that such attempts to threaten the election machinery would fail and said the matter would be pursued legally. “No stone will be left unturned to unearth the conspiracy behind these serial and fabricated complaints. The rule of law and truth shall prevail,” the statement said, adding that election officials remain committed to functioning solely in the public interest.

The response followed police complaints filed by families of two elderly voters who died on Monday after receiving hearing notices as part of the SIR process.

In Purulia district, Kanai Majhi alleged that his 82-year-old father, Durjan Majhi, was under severe mental distress after receiving a notice. He claimed his father’s name appeared in the physical 2002 SIR rolls but was missing from the version uploaded on the Election Commission website. Durjan Majhi died by suicide hours before his scheduled hearing.

In a separate case from Howrah district, the son of 64-year-old Jamat Ali Sheikh alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner and the state CEO misused their powers by issuing a hearing notice to his father, causing mental distress that allegedly led to his death.

The Election Commission reiterated that the allegations were unfounded and aimed at derailing the SIR process.