Burdwan villager dies in Kerala amid ‘concerns’ over SIR
Times of India | 2 November 2025
Burdwan: A section of villagers in East Burdwan's Jamalpur and local Trinamool workers alleged that a man from the village, who worked as a farmhand in Kerala and died in a hospital there on Thursday, was worried about the special intensive revision (SIR) of poll rolls that kicked off in Bengal on Tuesday.
The allegations surfaced after Bimal Santra's body reached the village on Saturday.
Santra, 31, who worked on farmland in Kerala, died at a hospital there on Oct 30. His son Bapi, 27, who went to get the body with help from local MLA Alok Majhi and DM Ayesha Rani, said his father died of some ailment at a hospital.
When asked whether the ailment was due to Bimal's concern over SIR, he said though he was not aware of the exact cause, his father called him a few days back and expressed concern over documents that might be required for SIR.
East Burdwan TMC president and MLA Rabindranath Chattopadhyay said he was heading to the village after learning about the death. "I have heard that the deceased worked in Kerala and was anxious about SIR. But I will not be able to confirm it till I speak to the family," he said.
There have been four suicides or suicide attempts in Bengal in the past five days in which the victims' families have cited SIR and NRC fears as the reason.