The Para Police Station in West Bengal’s Purulia district has lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against the Election Commission of India regarding the purported suicide of an 82-year-old man, believed to be linked to apprehensions about a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing. The case was initiated following a general diary submission by the deceased man’s son, Kanai Majhi, as confirmed by the police on Wednesday.
Reportedly, the Para police station in Purulia district took legal action against the Election Commission on Tuesday, citing “abetment of suicide and criminal conspiracy.” The FIR specifically named both “unknown officials and officials of the Election Commission of India,” as stated by police sources.
On December 29, Durjan Majhi of Chautala village in Anara Gram Panchayat, Para block, informed his family of his intention to secure a Toto (battery-powered auto-rickshaw) before tragically ending his life on the nearby railway tracks. Notably, he was scheduled for an SIR hearing at the Para block office on the same day.
The elderly man’s son, Kanai Majhi, a daily wage laborer, promptly reported the incident to the Para police station after his father’s demise just before the SIR hearing. Initially, only a general diary entry was recorded, but subsequently, a case has been registered against the Election Commission.
Trinamool Congress state general secretary Sujoy Banerjee, also the Para Assembly constituency coordinator, asserted that the Election Commission bore responsibility for the elderly tribal man’s demise, attributing it to fear of the SIR hearing and alleging a criminal conspiracy. He expressed hope for a thorough police investigation into the matter.
The registration of a case against the Election Commission has stirred significant speculation within the political circles of the district. Meanwhile, in Patharkata village of Manbazar, a 32-year-old tribal youth named Debraj Orang reportedly took his own life following a hearing notice related to a discrepancy in his voter registration details. His family intends to file a complaint against the Election Commission for allegedly contributing to his decision.
Gurupada Tudu, senior vice-president of the Purulia district Trinamool Congress and a tribal leader, claimed that the tribal youth’s suicide was influenced by the Election Commission’s actions. Once the family copes with their grief, they plan to lodge a complaint against the Commission at the Manbazar police station.
