More than a century after Rabindranath Tagore wrote “Kadambini died and proved that she had not died” in Jibito O Mrito, similar scenes are unfolding in present-day West Bengal, where voters are being forced to prove that they are alive and legitimate citizens.
On Monday, Sheikh Budhan’s name appeared at an Election Commission hearing in Burdwan after the draft voter list, published following the statewide Special Intensive Revision (SIR), declared him “dead” despite him being alive. Budhan is specially abled and lives in Mathpara, Ward No. 4 of Burdwan Municipality.
Leaning on his wife Kabita Begum’s shoulder and moving with the help of crutches, Budhan reached the hearing centre with great difficulty, carrying all his documents to establish his identity.
Kabita Begum said she had already shown the same documents to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) during verification. “Even after that, I don’t know why his name is missing,” she said. Recounting the hardship, she added, “How we brought him here, only we know. Why are poor people like us being harassed like this?”
She further said repeated requests were made to the BLO to conduct the hearing at home due to Budhan’s physical condition, but the request was ignored.
A similar situation was seen in the case of Shankar Chowdhury, a resident of Nari Colony under 183 part of the city. Shankar is also specially abled and cannot stand without assistance. He was also summoned for a hearing, and a neighbour carried him in his arms to the centre.
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Such scenes continued throughout the day, with several elderly and disabled voters expressing anger over what they described as harassment. Seventy-nine-year-old Banshgopal Saha said, “The commission can arrange home voting for people like us, but cannot arrange hearings at home. Many people here cannot even walk. This is wrong. The commission is doing unethical work.”
When asked about the allegations, Burdwan Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rajshree Nath declined to comment, saying she was not authorised to speak on the matter.
Meanwhile, Burdwan city Trinamool Congress president Tanmoy Singha Roy, along with party supporters, staged a protest alleging that Booth Level Agents (BLA-2s) were not allowed to enter the hearing room. “The Election Commission is working at the BJP’s behest. That is why BLA-2s are being stopped from entering,” Tanmoy alleged.
