Archive · 31 Jan 2026
Bengal SIR Drive Sparks Protests and Controversy
A group of people from Cooch Behar, including family members of those who died and voters marked as 'dead' in the voter list, went to Delhi.
They are part of a protest against a government process called SIR, which checks voter lists.
They say the process is too fast and has caused people to die from stress.
They will meet with the Chief Minister and the Election Commission to share their concerns.
Two more people died in similar circumstances in North and South Dinajpur.
Meanwhile, the SIR drive has found many mistakes in the voter lists, especially in districts near Bangladesh.
Some people say these mistakes show there are illegal voters, while others say the process is causing problems.
A 10-member team from Cooch Behar, including family members of alleged victims and Trinamool Congress leaders, reached Delhi to protest against the SIR drive.
The team plans to join Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on February 2.
Four family members of individuals who allegedly died due to mental stress triggered by SIR notices and four voters marked 'dead' in the draft voter list are part of the team.
Two additional deaths were reported in North and South Dinajpur due to alleged panic attacks during SIR hearings.
The protest aims to highlight the alleged hasty conduct of the SIR drive, causing distress and disenfranchisement of genuine voters, while the SIR drive has reported high numbers of logical discrepancies in electoral rolls, especially in border districts.
- Who
- A 10-member team from Cooch Behar, including family members of alleged victims and Trinamool Congress leaders, and the Election Commission of India
- What
- A protest against the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) drive in Bengal, alleging disenfranchisement and deaths due to mental stress, and the reporting of high numbers of logical discrepancies in electoral rolls
- When
- The team reached Delhi on February 1, with a meeting scheduled for February 2
- Where
- Delhi, with origins in Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, and various districts in West Bengal
- Why
- To protest against the SIR drive, alleging it is being conducted hastily and causing distress and deaths, and to highlight the high number of logical discrepancies in electoral rolls
- Number of team members
- 10
- Date of meeting with CEC
- February 2
- Number of alleged victims
- 160-odd
- Number of deceased family members represented
- 4
- Number of voters marked 'dead'
- 4
- Trinamool leaders accompanying the team
- Jyotirmoy Das, Rajendra Kumar Baid
- Additional death reported in North Dinajpur
- Jenetunnesa, 55
- Additional death reported in South Dinajpur
- Farida Bibi, 48
- Murshidabad logical discrepancies
- 16,72,123
- South 24 Parganas logical discrepancies
- 14,87,048
- North 24 Parganas logical discrepancies
- 11,00,783
- Malda logical discrepancies
- 8,67,054
- Uttar Dinajpur logical discrepancies
- 6,98,140
- Howrah logical discrepancies
- 6,87,984
- Birbhum logical discrepancies
- 5,20,566
Sources
Cooch Behar SIR 'victims' in Delhi, 10-member team and CM to meet Gyanesh Kumar - Telegraph India
Bengal SIR 2.0: ECI starts ‘Super Checking’ phase, documents uploaded during hearing to be verified
Bengal SIR 2.0: Murshidabad tops in ‘logical discrepancies’ with 16.7 lakh cases; border districts lead list
Bengal SIR: ECI changes responsibility of micro-observers from Feb 2
Delhi Confidential: Flag Meeting
