Kolkata: A 63-year-old former railway employee from Naihati passed away after suffering a heart attack while attending her SIR hearing at the Barrackpore Block Office-II on Wednesday. Her family alleged that she was under extreme mental stress after receiving the hearing notice.
The deceased, Ratna Chakraborty (63), was a resident of Booth 77 under Jethia gram panchayat in the Naihati assembly constituency. She was summoned as her name did not appear on the draft voters' list. "She attended the hearing at the Barrackpore-II BDO office at Panpur, where she suddenly felt unwell and suffered a heart attack," Sunil Sajjan, a local BLA, said.
Naihati MLA Sanat Dey alleged that Chakraborty panicked after being questioned during the SIR hearing, which led to her collapse. "She fell ill after being interrogated at the hearing," the MLA said. Barrackpore MP Partha Bhowmik added: "One more life was lost due to the Election Commission's oppression. People are being harassed in the name of SIR hearings."
"She was a former central govt employee and had all the necessary documents. But since her name was not found on the 2002 voters' list, she was called for a hearing. The mental pressure proved fatal," said Samir Chakraborty, a relative.