Abhishek Banerjee, national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), ignited fresh political controversy in West Bengal after urging residents to tie up local BJP workers who ask for their parents’ birth certificates. His remarks came during a visit to the family of 57-year-old Pradip Kar of Agrepada’s Mahajati Nagar, who allegedly died by suicide amid fears about NRC-related scrutiny. According to a diary recovered by police, Kar blamed the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process for his death.
Speaking to the bereaved family, Banerjee accused the BJP and the Election Commission of creating “an atmosphere of fear” that he said forced Kar to take his life. He demanded that First Information Reports (FIRs) be registered against Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for allegedly spreading intimidation. Banerjee’s controversial instruction — to bind any local BJP official to a tree or pole until they produce documentation showing their parents’ and grandparents’ certificates — was framed as a non-violent form of protest; he emphasized that TMC did not endorse physical harm.
The statement spread rapidly on social media, prompting sharp rebuttals from the BJP. West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya responded by asserting that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process will proceed across the state regardless of political objections, and described SIR as a routine constitutional exercise that cannot be blocked. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya accused the TMC of deliberately stoking fear among voters, alleging that the party has exploited anxiety about documentation to consolidate political advantage in districts such as North Dinajpur, Malda and Murshidabad.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also blamed BJP strategies for fostering fear and despair among ordinary citizens, calling the incident a tragic illustration of how polarising politics can harm vulnerable communities. TMC leaders have repeatedly argued that SIR is simply a guise for reviving NRC-style exclusion and manipulating voter rolls; the party claims such drives disproportionately target poor and marginalized residents.
The Election Commission announced on October 27 that the second phase of Special Intensive Revision would begin across 12 states and union territories, including Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry — regions that will soon hold assembly elections. While the commission frames SIR as an administrative measure to update electoral rolls, critics in West Bengal see it as politically charged and potentially destabilising, given the recent suicide and the heightened public sensitivities over citizenship documentation.
As tensions escalate, the episode has deepened political polarisation in West Bengal and sharpened scrutiny of how voter-roll updating processes are communicated and implemented. Legal and civic groups, as well as election observers, may now face pressure to clarify procedural safeguards and ensure that administrative actions do not fuel fear among communities dependent on fragile documentation.
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