A 68-year-old man from South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal died within two days of being taken from a hospital, where he was on oxygen support, to attend a hearing related to his voter registration. The incident has ignited a major political controversy and raised serious questions about administrative procedures.
The Tragic Sequence of Events
The deceased has been identified as Najitul Mollah, a resident of Uttar Thakurer Chak under the Gardeowani panchayat area of Jaynagar. According to his family, Mollah had been under severe mental stress for a long time because his name was missing from the 2002 voter list. He feared it might be deleted from the electoral rolls permanently.
His health deteriorated due to this stress, leading to his admission to a private hospital in Diamond Harbour on December 20 in a critical condition. As his health worsened, he was shifted to Chittaranjan Hospital in Kolkata and put on oxygen support.
Amid this medical crisis, the family received a notice asking Mollah to appear for a Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) hearing on December 31. To comply, the family signed a bond with the hospital on December 30 and took him home. They allege that despite his fragile state, he was forced to attend the hearing with the oxygen tube still in his nose.
Najitul Mollah fell ill again soon after the hearing and had to be re-hospitalized. He eventually died on the night of Friday, January 2.
Family's Anguish and Political Backlash
The family is devastated and has accused the authorities of inhuman treatment. "My father was extremely worried because his name was missing from the 2002 voter list. He fell ill and had to be hospitalised. In the middle of this, the hearing notice arrived. He was made to attend the hearing with an oxygen pipe. This is nothing short of inhuman," said the deceased's son.
The incident quickly turned into a political flashpoint in Jaynagar. BJP's Jaynagar organisational district president, Utpal Naskar, launched a sharp attack, alleging a violation of established norms. He stated that the Election Commission has clear instructions that people above 85 or those who are seriously ill should be given the option of a hearing at home.
"In this case, without informing the commission, a seriously ill man was allegedly forced to attend the hearing. This is dirty, planned politics. Trinamool is doing this and then trying to put the blame on the Election Commission by using the death as a tool," Naskar alleged.
A local Trinamool Congress functionary, however, dismissed these allegations as "absurd." The party's official response has been to deny any wrongdoing.
Widespread Anger and Unanswered Questions
The tragic death of Najitul Mollah has sparked widespread anger among local residents in Jaynagar. It has raised critical questions about the lack of sensitivity and flexibility in administrative processes, especially concerning elderly and ailing citizens.
Residents are demanding answers on why a man in such a critical medical condition was not provided with alternative arrangements, such as a home hearing, as per existing guidelines. The incident underscores a potential gap between official protocols and their implementation on the ground, with fatal consequences.
