SIR shocker: Alive but Burrabazar man declared dead by BLO

A perfectly healthy resident of Kolkata’s Ward 42 in Burrabazar has been declared dead by BLO. During the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the local Booth Level Officer (BLO) marked him as “deceased” in the records. The man filled his SIR form without any trouble, but when the draft list came out, his name carried the heartbreaking tag: “dead”.

Now, to his name back on the voter list, he has been asked to appear in person at Jessop Building between 4–6 December with proof that he is very much alive.The shocked resident says he has never faced anything so strange in his life. Many elderly people or those who moved houses years ago are finding themselves wrongly listed as dead, while others have simply vanished from the rolls. The mix-up has added to the growing list of complaints against the hurried SIR process in Bengal.

With every passing day, more bizarre stories are surfacing—dead people still voting, living citizens declared dead, and entire families missing. People are now worried that genuine voters might lose their right to vote if these errors aren’t fixed quickly. The Election Commission says BLOs are working hard to correct mistakes, but for the man from Burrabazar carrying a “proof of life” certificate in order to prove the administration that he is alive is a stark reminder and the most uncertain incident ever in Kolkata