Elderly woman sets herself on fire, family alleges SIR anxiety

An elderly woman from the southern part of the city’s Kudghat area died after allegedly setting herself on fire due to panic over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, police said on Tuesday.

The woman, identified as Jamuna Mondal (67), had been living with her family, who claimed that her anxiety intensified as the SIR process began, a senior police officer said.

“Preliminary findings suggested that the deceased did not receive her enumeration form, which contributed to her distress,” he said.

Mondal, a long-time resident of Dhalai Bridge and New Putiari Udayachal area in South Kolkata’s Ward 114, reportedly set herself on fire in her home, he said.

“She was rushed to MR Bangur Hospital with severe burns, where she later succumbed to her injuries. Her body has been sent for post-mortem examination,” he said, adding that police have initiated an investigation into the circumstances of her death.

In recent weeks, similar reports of deaths allegedly linked to anxiety over the SIR process have been reported from several districts, including North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Birbhum, and Nadia.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the SIR exercise in various states, including West Bengal. SIR is a door-to-door verification drive intended to clean up duplicates, remove deceased voters and add new eligible voters.