Overview
- Two deaths in three days—57-year-old Pradeep Kar in Panihati and 95-year-old Kshitish Majumdar in Birbhum—and a suicide attempt in Cooch Behar were reported by families as driven by fear of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
- Barrackpore Police said Kar’s diary entry that mentioned the NRC has been sent for forensic examination, and officers described the investigation into his death as ongoing.
- Relatives questioned whether Kar could have written the note because he had lost fingers on his right hand, while a police complaint alleged he was pushed into panic by those spreading fear.
- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged residents not to take extreme steps and pledged to block any NRC in the state, as TMC leaders held protests and accused the revision of creating a climate of anxiety.
- BJP leaders rejected links between the cases and the SIR or NRC and attacked the TMC’s claims, even as local reports flagged discrepancies in 2002 rolls that underpin the update slated to start November 4.