Kolkata, March 30: A shocking incident in the Akandara village of the West Bardhaman district has left the community in disbelief. A 35-year-old man, Khepa Hazra, reportedly consumed poison, leading to his death two days later. His family claims he was driven to this tragic act due to frustration over not being included in the final voter list, despite attending a special hearing for intensive revision.
The family alleges that Hazra suffered from severe depression stemming from his fear of losing citizenship. According to police reports, Hazra’s name was absent from the 2002 voter list of West Bengal. Following a recent special intensive revision, his name appeared under the ‘under-adjudication’ category but was not listed in the general voter list. Despite participating in the hearing, he was not included in the supplementary list, which led to his gradual descent into depression.
Hazra worked as a daily laborer and had reportedly not been eating well or communicating with others in recent days. On Saturday, when he was missing for an extended period, his family began searching for him. He was found unconscious near a field in the village and was rushed to the Durgapur sub-district hospital, where doctors confirmed he had ingested poison. Sadly, he passed away on Monday after two days of treatment.
His wife, Brinda Hazra, expressed her anguish, stating, “Since his name was not on the voter list, he lived in constant fear. He hardly ate or spoke. Ultimately, he took this drastic step. Now, we don’t know what to do.”
Their daughter, Durga, added, “We tried our best to reassure him, but the fear surrounding the voter registration process consumed him.”
This incident has sparked political debate. Pradeep Majumdar, a candidate from the Trinamool Congress in the Durgapur East constituency, criticized the Election Commission, claiming, “Fear is being deliberately spread under the pretext of identifying illegal immigrants. People with valid documents are being pushed to the brink of death.”
In contrast, BJP district spokesperson Sumant Mandal countered, stating, “This process has been implemented in other states without such incidents. The Trinamool Congress is intentionally confusing the public. We assure everyone there is no reason to panic.”
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