SIR in Bengal: Man, given up for dead, returns home after 28 years to reclaim name in voter list

A special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal led to an unexpected reunion on Monday, when Jagabandhu Mondal, missing for 28 years, returned to his native Bagdah village to reclaim his identity as a voter.

His wife, Supriya, who had been raising their two children alone, recognised her husband immediately. “I recognised his ‘thickset face’ the moment he landed at our door,” she told the Times of India. His father, Bijoy Mondal, also confirmed that Jagabandhu had indeed returned.

What happened?

After failing to trace him for years, the family had even consulted an astrologer, who “confirmed” their worst fears. Supriya had performed her husband’s last rites and came to terms with life as a single mother. Jagabandhu’s name was apparently deleted from the electoral rolls during subsequent revisions.

Now 55, Jagabandhu said he decided to return after losing his job in Chhattisgarh. “My name is still on the voters’ list in Bankura,” he added.

The Bankura entry triggered suspicion that he had remarried, as the name “Sulekha Mondal” appeared next to his on the list, with her husband listed as Jagabandhu Mondal. The man denied having married a second time. “I travelled to Gujarat and then Mumbai before returning to Bankura for a while. I finally settled in Chhattisgarh,” he said.

Local booth committee member Samir Guha explained, “His name is not there on the post-SIR 2002 rolls, but his father’s name is.” The designated BLO added, “With his name deleted from the rolls and no official proof of his whereabouts for 28 years, verifying his claims and restoring his status may prove a challenge.”

SIR in Bengal

After successfully conducting SIR in Bihar before the state went to polls, the Election Commission has now shifted its focus to West Bengal in a court-mandated order to revise electoral rolls.

A senior EC team led by senior Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti will be in Kolkata to oversee the preparations for SIR. The team will hold meetings with the District Election Officer (DEO) of Kolkata South and Kolkata North and the DEO of the South 24 Parganas.

The team will move to Krishnanagar for an overnight stay on Wednesday to review the SIR process in Nadia and Murshidabad districts. On Thursday, the ECI team will review the SIR process in Malda district. The team will return to Kolkata on Friday to participate in the First Level Checking of EVMs workshop at New Town, which will be attended by all 24 DEOs.