Bengal nurse who lost arm in domestic attack finds name deleted from voter list

BURDWAN/KOLKATA: Renu Khatun, the nurse from East Burdwan whose arm was chopped off by her husband and who now uses a prosthetic limb, has found her name deleted from the electoral roll after judicial scrutiny.

The 27-year-old, who had been a voter at booth 33 in the Ketugram assembly seat, where she had voted in the last state and Lok Sabha polls, was earlier mentioned as Renuka Khatun in news reports.




“I have gone through many ups and downs. The violence I faced at home scarred me for life. With a prosthetic arm, I am struggling to recover from the trauma. But it seems the challenges are not over yet. On Sunday, I learnt my name was deleted from the roll even though I submitted all required documents. My parents’ names are on the list,” Khatun said.

The employee at the nursing training school of Burdwan Medical College & Hospital said she had been asked by Election Commission to appear for a hearing because of a “logical discrepancy” in her SIR enumeration form. The discrepancy, Khatun was told, was that altogether seven individuals, including the nurse, had mentioned her father’s name on the SIR form as part of progeny mapping. It could not have been any other way as Khatun has seven siblings.

The names of her four brothers and the wife of one of the brothers have also been deleted from the list. Their father, Azizul Haque, said, “For the last 80 years, we have been living in the same village. We have participated in several elections. There is no reason for the deletions.”

When TOI visited Khatun’s house on Monday, she was gathering documents needed to file an appeal before a judicial tribunal, set up following a Supreme Court order.

“At the hearing by Election Commission officials, I submitted all relevant documents, such as the birth certificate issued by the local panchayat, Madhyamik and HS certificates, EPIC, Aadhaar card, PAN card and all documents related to my profession. Still, my name was put under adjudication, and was finally deleted on Sunday. I had voted in the 2021 assembly elections, 2024 Lok Sabha polls and even in the last panchayat elections,” she said.

“The deletion has dealt me a blow, coinciding with my personal battle. It’s disheartening that genuine electors are being stripped of their voting right. EC has to ensure that no genuine voter’s name is deleted.”

Four years ago, Bengal had rallied behind Khatun after her husband chopped off her right arm. The husband feared that she would leave him if she continued working as a nurse. She later got a prosthetic limb and a state govt job following public outcry. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee stood by her and expressed admiration for her grit and determination to fight back.