Kolkata, Jan 16 (PTI) A woman died allegedly by suicide in West Bengal’s Malda district after she failed to arrange documents required for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, police said on Friday.
The deceased has been identified as 36-year-old Banoti Rajbanshi of Kamanch area.
According to her family members, she had received a notice seeking submission of documents for the SIR exercise, but did not possess many of the required papers, including her birth certificate and her parents’ death certificates.
“She was under mental stress for the past few days. On Tuesday, she consumed poison at her residence,” a senior district police officer said.
“She was admitted to Malda Medical College and Hospital, where she died on Friday morning.” Police said Banoti’s father, Gopal Rajbanshi, had died in an accident before her birth, while her mother passed away when she was three years old.
She was brought up at her grandfather’s house.
A relative, Basudev Rajbanshi, said Banoti had been seeking land-related documents from her relatives at her parental home, which could not be arranged, adding to her anxiety.
The incident triggered a political row, with the ruling Trinamool Congress alleging harassment of people during the SIR process and holding the BJP and the Election Commission responsible.
Malda district TMC spokesperson Ashis Kundu claimed that notices were being issued indiscriminately.
The BJP rejected the allegations.
South Malda BJP president Ajay Gangopadhyay blamed the ruling party and claimed that such incidents were not being reported from other states.
“We are conducting an investigation into the matter and have initiated an inquest. The exact circumstances leading to the death are being verified,” the police officer said. PTI SCH MNB
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