Bengal: Husband Brings Ailing Wife to SIR Hearing in Trolley Van in Birbhum’s Sainthia

A husband brought his ailing wife to a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing at the in Birbhum district using a trolley van after she was issued a notice over discrepancies in her name in the draft electoral roll.
According to local sources, the incident occurred in Sainthia block, where Mukhtar Sheikh brought his seriously ill wife, Alimon Bibi, to the SIR hearing at the Sainthia Block Office in a trolley van fitted with a canopy.

Alimon Bibi, a resident of Dakshin Sija village under Sainthia block, had received a notice from the election authorities asking her to appear for a hearing due to alleged errors in her name in the draft SIR voters’ list.

Family members allege that despite being aware of her fragile health condition, no special arrangements were made by the administration to facilitate her participation in the hearing.

With no alternative support provided, Mukhtar Sheikh was forced to transport his wife to the block office using a trolley van, highlighting what many described as a lack of humane consideration in the process.

Sainthia Block Trinamool Congress president Saber Ali Khan was present at the scene and expressed strong criticism of the situation. He said,“Forcing a sick person to appear for a hearing in this manner is inhumane. The Election Commission should have arranged for an ambulance or conducted the hearing at the person's home.”

This is a recurring situation across districts of Bengal. On Thursday, an ailing 80-year-old resident of Bankura district appeared before a Special Revision of Electoral Roll (SIR) hearing camp after discovering that his name was missing from the draft voters’ list, raising concerns over the difficulties faced by elderly citizens during the verification process.

A resident of Bhimahar village in Kotulpur block, Panja, attended the SIR hearing at the Kotulpur Block Development Office after being summoned by election authorities. Officials reportedly flagged his case after his name was found absent from the 2002 electoral roll, prompting them to seek additional verification details, including information related to his parents, as part of the revision exercise.​