West Bengal Woman Slips Into Coma After Getting SIR Hearing Notice, Dies After Six Days
Family members alleged that Alaka Biswas (75) suffered a brain stroke and slipped into coma due to anxiety after being called for SIR hearing.
Published : January 11, 2026 at 7:44 PM IST
Barrackpore: A 75-year-old woman, who went into coma after being called for hearing related to corrections under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), died after six days in Sodepur of West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Saturday. Family members alleged that severe anxiety and fear of exclusion led to her death.
The deceased, identified as Alaka Biswas, was a resident of the Talbanda area under Ghola in Sodepur. According to family members, Alaka received a notice related to the SIR hearing from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on January 4. "Soon after receiving the notice, Alaka became extremely anxious, felt dizzy, and collapsed on the floor. She suffered a brain stroke and was taken to a local hospital," a family member said.
Alaka was first rushed to a local hospital and as her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, where she slipped into a coma. After battling for life for six days, she died on Saturday morning.
Her death has turned into a political firestorm between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP. Khardah MLA and West Bengal minister Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay strongly condemned the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that voters are being harassed under the guise of SIR process and alleged that the commission is acting in collusion with the BJP.
“SIR-related deaths are becoming almost routine now. The Election Commission has created an atmosphere of fear through its SIR exercise. Even voters whose names exist in the 2002 electoral rolls and have all valid documents are being served notices. My own family has received SIR notices. I fail to understand whether this is really an SIR process or something else altogether. It is becoming increasingly clear that the ECI is acting at the BJP’s behest. We stand firmly by the bereaved family.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Prabir Das, deputy head of Bilkanda-1 gram panchayat, said the elderly woman lost her only son during the Covid pandemic. "Her death is unacceptable, and the ECI must take full responsibility. We have been by the family’s side from day one and will continue to be so,” Das said.
The BJP, however, rejected these allegations. Khardah BJP leader Joy Saha said any death is unfortunate but the ruling Trinamool Congress is deliberately creating panic among residents. “People are not afraid of SIR. It is the Trinamool Congress that is scared. That is why every death is being labelled as ‘SIR panic’. The Trinamool knows that once SIR is completed, their political exit is inevitable,” he claimed.
Since the beginning of the year, deaths allegedly linked to SIR process have been reported from Swarupnagar, Hingalganj, Naihati and Madhyamgram areas of the district.
On Friday, a youth died from heart attack in his sleep in Hasnabad and the Trinamool Congress attributed it SIR-related panic. With the Sodepur case, the party now claims that six deaths in North 24 Parganas alone in the past week are linked to fear surrounding the SIR exercise.
Separately, another disturbing incident was reported from Chanchal-1 block’s Uttar Basantapur area in Malda district. An elderly woman, Hameda Bibi, suffered paralysis allegedly after becoming traumatised during an SIR hearing. Family members claimed that despite producing all required documents, officials asked her to submit land deeds and summoned her again after seven days. Soon after leaving the hearing centre, she fell ill and had to be rushed to a super-speciality hospital, where doctors confirmed she had suffered a paralytic stroke.
As allegations pile up, the SIR process emerges as a major flashpoint in Bengal politics, with the Trinamool Congress stepping up attacks on the ECI and the BJP, while the opposition dismisses the claims as politically motivated fear-mongering.
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