Trinamool Councillor marked dead in draft voter list, organizes own funeral in protest

A bizarre and dramatic incident unfolded in Dankuni Municipality after the name of the local Trinamool Congress (TMC) Councillor, Surya Dey, was mistakenly listed among the deceased in the draft voter list published on Tuesday. In a highly unusual form of symbolic protest, the councillor, angered by the error, made arrangements for his own funeral and personally arrived at the cremation ground to express his outrage against the Election Commission.

Councillor Surya Dey, a long-time resident of Ward No. 18 with serial number 40 and booth number 226, discovered the erroneous entry when the draft voter list was published on Tuesday morning. Without informing anyone, he quickly gathered all the necessary items for a Hindu funeral ceremony and proceeded directly to the cremation ground. His symbolic act aimed to highlight the severe administrative lapse by the Election Commission officials.

Seated at the cremation ground, Councillor Surya Dey publicly condemned the error, stating, "I have walked here myself for my own funeral. I am a people's representative, yet I have been shown as dead. I strongly condemn this. I have come to the cremation ground. I will request the Election Commission officials to come and light my pyre." His extreme reaction underscored the gravity of the error, as being incorrectly listed as deceased can severely impact a citizen's right to vote, especially a public representative.