NEW DELHI: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee condemned the Special Intensive Revision going on in the state, alleging the process that was expected to be constructive has already claimed 77 lives while leaving multiple others needing hospitalisation.In her letter to the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the CM wrote, “It is shocking that an exercise which should have been constructive and productive has already seen 77 deaths with 4 attempts to suicide and 17 persons falling sick and necessitating hospitalisation.”She further stated that the process was “relentlessly harassing the ordinary citizens” and that the revision of the voter lists is being done strictly on technical data without any human judgment. Mamata alleged that the ECI has undertaken the procedure without proper planning, which has caused fear and intimidation. “This is attributed to fear, intimidation and disproportionate workload due to unplanned exercise undertaken by ECI,” the CM wrote.‘77 deaths due to SIR’: Mamata makes explosive charges on EC again; flags ‘inhumane’ conditions”

‘Harassment of citizens’

Mamata Banerjee attacked the ECI, claiming the revisions are subjecting the citizens to unreasonable pressure and administrative scrutiny. She wrote, “I am deeply shocked and disturbed by the manner in which the Election Commission of India (ECI) appears to be relentlessly harassing ordinary citizens during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).”Highlighting the importance of human intervention and judgment in the process, she said that this revision forms the foundation of democracy and the constitutional framework.“The hearing process has become largely mechanical, driven purely by technical data and is completely devoid of the application of mind, sensitivity and human touch that are indispensable for an exercise of this nature-one that directly forms the bedrock of our democracy and constitutional framework,” she wrote.On Monday, Mamata Banerjee had announced her plan to move to the Supreme Court over the “inhumane treatment” of the citizens during SIR. The revision drive has been underway in West Bengal for over two months. It has triggered confusion among the citizens and extreme stress on field staff, with several BLOs reportedly dying due to health complications or suicide from increased workload.