A tragic incident in Khardaha, near Kolkata, has sparked a political storm in West Bengal after a 57-year-old man allegedly took his own life, leaving behind a note citing fear of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The suicide came soon after the Centre announced the State Identification Register (SIR) in West Bengal along with several other states.

The deceased, identified as Pradeep Kar, a resident of 4 Mahajyoti Nagar, Panihati (Ward No. 9), reportedly wrote in his note: “NRC is responsible for my death.”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee strongly condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of spreading panic among citizens through what she called “politics of fear and division.”

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Banerjee wrote: “57-year-old Pradeep Kar from 4 Mahajyoti Nagar, Panihati, Khardaha (Ward No. 9) has taken his own life, leaving behind a note that says, ‘NRC is responsible for my death.’ What greater indictment can there be of the BJP’s politics of fear and division? 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.”

She further lashed out at the Centre, stating: “They have turned constitutional democracy into a draconian law-regime, 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’.”

Calling for immediate intervention, Banerjee asserted that her government would never allow NRC in Bengal.

“I demand that the Central Government stop this heartless game once and for all. Bengal will never allow NRC, and never allow anyone to strip our people of their dignity or belonging. Our soil belongs to Maa, Mati, Manush, 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.”

Meanwhile, North 24 Parganas Superintendent of Police (SP) Sharma confirmed that an investigation was underway.

“I have learned from the family that the deceased person was afraid of NRC and after the SIR exercise started, he felt insecure and committed suicide. His family also mentioned that he was born in India but his parents were from Bangladesh. Investigation is going on,” Sharma said.