Suicides because of fear of SIR

Panihati, Birbhum and Cooch Behar have become the headlines due to unfortunate death by suicide. The news remains that three adults have committed suicides in a row. As per the ruling party, anxieties over the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) have triggered of such suicides. The family members of the deceased have confirmed their anxieties.

It’s a riddle, whether they are spouting the tutored version.

The police discovered a suicide note in Panihati. It remains uncertain whether the police will seek the opinion of handwriting experts before declaring the few shakily scribbled lines as a suicide note.

Political row erupts when Mamata Banerjee claims the mishaps as “direct consequence of BJP’s venomous propaganda”.

Anxieties over SIR and NRC

Brushing asides the political slugfest, why NRC and SIR have raised acrimonious debates? Has The Central Government announced NRC in any state other than Assam? Why get worked up about something that’s yet to be announced? Why fret about a baby that’s still in the womb?

It’s perhaps because of uttering meaningless rhetoric by the politicians. The arch rivals BJP and TMC are creating a frenzy with exaggerated claims, leaving people bewildered.

The reality is that Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar has resulted a large number of exclusions. Perhaps that has inspired the BJP West Bengal leaders to announce exciting figures like 1.2 crores, 1 crore etc., without any statistical evidences. The Election Commission has provided substantial justification for its reasons; however, citizenship was never a factor for exclusion.

The blame-shifting game of the roaring  arch-rivalries  and the growing anxieties over SIR can cause another set of political violence in West Bengal

Politics over corpses has yielded significant political dividends for Mamata Banerjee and her party is now treading the same ground.

Continuous panic

The panic has spread over so much that some maid servants have been suddenly disappearing without any word. It’s the mandatory duty of the politicians to unearth the truth and explain it to the voters. The election Commission has clearly announced that the names listed in 2002 roles will remain untouched by default. Why should the senior persons be panic-stricken? As report reveals Pradeep Kar was aged 57, Khairul Sheikh was 60, Kshitij Majumdar was 95. The EC has confirmed that even if the name is not enlisted, there are several ways to include the names. However, there is no question of deportation as the EC doesn’t have any constitutional authority.

The BLOs are supposed the visit thrice, in case, the verification is not been completed. Even after the publication of draft voter list, there are provisions for inclusion. As stated earlier, the political parties are raising such a hue and cry. Unfortunately, in a state like West Bengal, the political parties are more interested in calculating their political advantages.

Mandatory for a smooth SIR

BJP, the ruler in the center has got adequate responsibilities not to raise unsensible figures. The TMC, the ruler of the state should also restrain from the provocation of earning political mileage from exploiting the dead bodies. The political leaders should not spread the fear psychosis.  The Election Commission should remain mindful of the unfortunate incidents and the unwarranted panic that has spread among the mass. They must come out of its silence and reassure the public time and again.  The common people must understand that such political fence-sitting stems from hard-nosed realpolitik, not from any concern for their welfare.

However,  West Bengal is witnessing the most brazen display of politics amidst the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).