Weaver kills self in Shantipur, kin blame SIR hearing stress
Times of India | 18 January 2026
Krishnanagar (Nadia): A 56-year-old weaver's body was found hanging in his Shantipur home on Saturday, with his family claiming that fear caused by a notice related to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had driven him to suicide. Shantipur, the hub of Bengal's traditional weaves, sits in the Matua heartland.
The deceased Subodh Debnath (56), a resident of the Dhakapara area in Shantipur, is survived by his ailing wife and a son. Police sent the body for postmortem and an investigation has been initiated.
According to his family, Subodh had been under severe mental distress ever since he received an SIR hearing notice on Jan 4. The family claimed that while their names had been included in the voters' list in 2010, they didn't feature in the 2002 SIR list.
"After receiving the notice, he was constantly anxious. He kept saying that if he failed to produce documents, he might be sent to jail. He repeatedly said he would not go for the hearing," said Subodh's wife Lipi. Subodh allegedly stopped eating properly and spent days worrying about the issue. They said he also discussed his fears with several neighbours.
Subodh's family members and neighbours said they would lodge a written police complaint against EC.