‘Broke down in tears’: 38-year-old West Bengal man waiting in SIR queue collapses, dies of heart attack; family alleges stress from process

KOLKATA: A 38-year-old man, Ramzan Ali, a resident of Badu in Madhyamgram, died of a heart attack on Thursday morning after standing in a long queue for a hearing related to corrections under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

According to the family, Ramzan had been suffering from severe anxiety ever since he received a notice for the SIR hearing. They alleged that the fear surrounding the process ultimately led to his death.




According to local sources, Ramzan, a driver, went to the Barasat Block II BDO office with his mother Salma Begum to seek correction of names under SIR. "While standing in queue for a long time in the cold, he fell ill and collapsed," said Sheikh Gulam Ali, his cousin.

Locals took him to Sanberia Rural Health Centre, where doctors declared him dead. "My son was under extreme stress from the day he received the SIR notice. Our names were not on the 2002 voters' list. He repeatedly asked me where we would go and whether we would be driven out of this country. He even broke down in tears. I somehow convinced him and brought him for the hearing. I never imagined my son would die like this," Salma said.

State food and supplies minister Rathin Ghosh, Madhyamgram Municipality chairperson Nimai Ghosh, and other local Trinamool leaders visited the bereaved family to express condolences. They have assured the family of financial assistance. Condemning the incident, the food minister alleged that more than 50 people have died in the state in connection with the SIR process.