Dad, dead before hearing but on list, son under lens

Howrah: The name of an elderly man, who died after receiving SIR hearing summons, appeared on the final voter list, while that of his son was deleted. Another such "victim's" name was put under adjudication, though his son's name is deleted. One of the deceased was Sk Jamat Ali (64), who lived in Brammannyagram under Amta constituency, while the other one was Madan Ghosh (62), a resident of Liluah Chakpara under Domjur constituency. Ali's son Kamal was not even served a notice, though Ghohs's sons Susanta and Dipankar were called for hearings.
Howrah Trinamool chairman and minister Arup Roy said, "Such errors and irregularities won't be tolerated." When asked, Howrah DM and district returning officer P Dipappriya said, "I will be able to respond only after properly looking into it.""Those whose names have been dropped can get their names included on the next revised list if they apply with appropriate documents. For those who have died, the matter will be corrected once the officer concerned is alerted. But such errors could be due to mechanical glitches or even lapses on the voters' part," claimed an election official. Ali's son, Sk Kamal, alleged, "My father fell ill with anxiety upon receiving the SIR notice. His hearing at the Amta BDO office was slated for Dec 29 last year but he died of cardiac arrest on the morning of Dec 25. I lodged a police complaint, naming Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Yet, on the final voter list, my father's name is present, while my name is put under ‘adjudication'. I cannot understand why this has happened."On Jan 9, Ghosh, after receiving an SIR hearing notice, went to the Bali-Jagachha BDO office. He was accompanied by his younger son, Susanta. "My father panicked on receiving the notice. He was subjected to long questioning during the hearing, when he was repeatedly told to produce his birth certificate or his name would be deleted. He started sweating. I headed home to fetch some documents, while my father went towards a photocopy shop. But on his way, he collapsed after feeling dizzy. He was taken to Howrah District Hospital, where he was declared dead. The doctor said my father died of a cerebral attack caused by extreme panic." He added that on the final list, his father's name was put under adjudication, but his and his brother Dipankar's names were deleted. Susanta and Kamal claimed their fathers' deaths were not even reported to the respective BDO offices.Trinamool functionary Masood Guddu Khan said he would submit complaint letters, along with the deceased men's sons, to the BDOs of the two assembly constituencies. He also said legal assistance would be provided. "These two families are known as Trinamool supporters. We received complaints about irregularities being committed against several of our supporters," Khan said.