TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday urged people to confront and “tie up” local BJP leaders if they ask for their parents’ birth certificates during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls or NRC verification.
He made the remark after visiting the family of 57-year-old Pradeep Kar, who reportedly committed suicide in Panihati, not far from here, fearing the SIR and the alleged NRC exercise.
Banerjee linked Kar’s death directly to the SIR, claiming that the anxiety created by the BJP and the Election Commission drove the man to the extreme step.
He accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of being responsible for the “climate of panic” and demanded prosecution.
“Kar died because of the anxiety of NRC and SIR. An FIR should be lodged against Shah and Kumar,” he said, asking if the two themselves would be able to provide the documents they demanded from common citizens.
Earlier in the day, Banerjee met the family of the deceased along with MPs Partha Bhowmick and Nirmal Ghosh and youth leader Debraj Chakraborty.
TMC leaders said a handwritten note found near Kar’s body reflected his fear of documentation demands and impending expulsion.
Banerjee later addressed her supporters and escalated her attack on the BJP’s demand for older documents. “Next time local BJP leaders come to your area, stop them and ask them to produce their parents’ certificates. Tie them to a tree or a lamp and tell them they will not be released until they produce their parents’ and grandparents’ documents,” he said.
“We don’t believe in violence. Don’t beat them, just tie them up if they ask for your parents’ birth certificates,” he added.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of spreading fear and “weaponizing the NRC”.
The BJP countered that the cause of Karo’s death should be determined by investigators rather than political allegations. It insisted that the SIR was a routine election review exercise and accused the TMC of exploiting the tragedy for political mileage.
The incident reignited Bengal’s fierce citizenship debate and set the stage for a high-tension showdown between the BJP-led state government and the BJP-led Center in the run-up to the next election battle.
