Man takes his own life: Mamata Banerjee Blames BJP for Spreading Fear Over NRC

PTI, KOLKATA, OCT 28, 2025: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday expressed shock over the alleged death of a man in North 24 Parganas district, who reportedly left behind a suicide note blaming the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for his death.

In a post on X, Mamata said 57-year-old Pradeep Kar from Panihati in North 24 Parganas district had taken his own life, leaving a note stating: "NRC is responsible for my death." Police said Kar was found hanging in his home at Panihati on Tuesday.

Condemning what she described as the BJP's "politics of fear and division," the Chief Minister alleged that the party's campaign around the NRC has created panic among people. "It shakes me to the very core to imagine how, for years, BJP has tormented innocent citizens with the threat of NRC, spreading lies, stoking panic, and weaponizing insecurity for votes," Mamata said in the post.

She charged the BJP with turning "Constitutional democracy into a theatre of fear" and said the "tragic death" was the result of "venomous propaganda."

"They have turned Constitutional democracy into a theatre of fear, where people are made to doubt their own right to exist. This tragic death is the direct consequence of BJP's venomous propaganda. Those who sit in Delhi and preach nationalism have pushed ordinary Indians to such despair that they are dying in their own land, fearing they will be declared 'FOREIGNERS,'" she added.

Demanding that the Centre put an end to what she called a "heartless game," the Chief Minister reiterated that Bengal would "never allow NRC" and would protect the dignity and rights of its people. "Our soil belongs to Maa, Mati, Manush (mother, land, and people), not to those who thrive on hate. Let the Delhi Zamindars hear this loud and clear: Bengal will resist, Bengal will protect, and Bengal will prevail," she added.

Later, talking to the media, Barrackpore Police Commissioner Murlidhar Sharma said Kar's body was found hanging inside his room at his residence in Panihati. "After a preliminary investigation and speaking to his family members and relatives, we found that Mr. Kar had been very depressed due to NRC. He had been under severe stress for quite some time, especially since yesterday's announcement regarding the rollout of the voters' list," he told a press conference here.

Sharma further stated: "Only one-and-a-half years ago, Lok Sabha elections were held. If there are discrepancies in electoral rolls now, then the Lok Sabha should be dissolved and fresh elections held." He also asked, "Why was SIR announced for Bengal citing the presence of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas? What about the other border states?" He questioned why West Bengal had been singled out when "five North-Eastern states share borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar."

Issuing a stern warning, he said: "If the name of a single eligible voter is eliminated, one lakh people from Bengal will hold a dharna outside the EC office in Delhi." The Diamond Harbour MP asserted that despite SIR, the party would "increase its seat tally" in the Assembly elections next year.

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The IPS officer said the deceased had dinner on Monday night and then went to his room to sleep. "His family members could not understand what was going on in his mind. On Tuesday morning, he was found hanging from the ceiling of his room," Sharma said.

The deceased's elder sister claimed that her brother had been frightened about the implementation of the NRC."My brother was very scared about the implementation of the NRC. He used to tell us that he would be taken away in the name of NRC," the sister said.