Two persons have died at Basirhat in North 24-Parganas since Saturday with the deaths blamed on panic over National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bengal, prompting protests by Trinamul and the Congress against the exercise repeatedly proposed by BJP leaders.
On Sunday morning, Kamal Hossain Mondal, 36, a brick kiln labourer from the Soladana village, was found hanging in a mango orchard. Family members said Mondal was illiterate and panicked after he failed to find his land documents.
“He had sought help from some people, who told him not to worry. But he remained extremely anxious and ended his life over NRC fears,” Mondal’s wife Tuktuki Biwi said.
In Sashan’s Daspur, Ayep Amin, 53, a farmer, fell ill after failing to get his land records, his family said. This led to a heart attack on Saturday night and on Sunday morning, Amin died at the Barasat State General Hospital, his family said.
The deaths on Sunday took the alleged NRC-linked toll in Basirhat alone to four in three days.
As word of the deaths spread, hundreds of protesters backed by the Congress squatted on rail tracks at Bhyabla Halt, disrupting train services for around an hour on the Sealdah-Hasnabad section. “The Centre is responsible for these deaths. They are worsening the panic. The fear is palpable in North 24-Parganas. We are now apprehensive of more deaths because of this panic, unless the NRC propaganda is stopped,” Congress North 24-Parganas secretary Biswajit Roy said.
According to Roy, at least five people have died so far over NRC fears in Bengal alone. “In Assam, the number is over 40. Their blood is on the BJP’s hands.”
In Baduria, Trinamul organised a rally attended by thousands, many of them “apolitical” participants. Led by Baduria civic chairman Tushar Sinha, the protesters marched for over 6km.
Speaking at a meeting after the march, Sinha said the fear of losing citizenship has gripped people across Bengal. “This fear is not illogical…. However, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has made it clear that NRC will not be allowed in our state,” Sinha added.
