Kolkata: A 68-year-old man from Jaynagar in South 24 Parganas died on Jan 2, within 48 hours of attending an SIR hearing while on oxygen support, his family claimed. The deceased, Najitul Mollah, a resident of Uttar Thakurer Chak under the Gardeowani panchayat area of Jaynagar, had been taken out of hospital by his family who signed a bond on Dec 30, so that he could attend the hearing on Dec 31.
According to family members, Mollah fell ill again after the hearing and had to be hospitalized again. He died on Friday night. Family members alleged that he was under severe mental stress for a long time as his name did not figure in the 2002 voter list, raising fears that it might be deleted from the electoral rolls.
On Dec 20, he was admitted in a critical condition to a private hospital in Diamond Harbour. As his condition worsened, he was later shifted to Chittaranjan Hospital in Kolkata, where he was kept on oxygen support.
Amid this, the family alleged a notice was issued to Mollah asking him to appear for an SIR hearing on Dec 31.
To comply with the notice, the family signed a hospital bond and brought him home. They claimed that despite his fragile condition, he was forced to attend the hearing with an oxygen tube still inserted in his nose. Soon after, his health deteriorated further and he eventually died.
"My father was extremely worried because his name was missing from the 2002 voter list. He fell ill and had to be hospitalised. In the middle of this, the hearing notice arrived. He was made to attend the hearing with an oxygen pipe. This is nothing short of inhuman," said the deceased's son.
The incident triggered a sharp political controversy in the area. BJP Jaynagar organisational district president Utpal Naskar alleged that established norms were violated. "The Election Commission has clear instructions that people above 85 years of age or those who are seriously ill should be given the option of a hearing at home. In this case, without informing the commission, a seriously ill man was allegedly forced to attend the hearing. This is dirty, planned politics. Trinamool is doing this and then trying to put the blame on the Election Commission by using the death as a tool," Naskar said.
A Trinamool Congress functionary, however, dismissed the allegations as "absurd".
The incident raised serious questions among local residents in Jaynagar and sparked widespread anger in the area.