A 59-year-old man died by suicide in Kolkata over an alleged fear of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), sparking a war of words between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the proposed exercise.

Dilip Kumar Saha, a non-teaching staff member at a private school, was found hanging in his room on Sunday by family members who had to force open the door. According to his family, Saha had grown increasingly anxious and depressed in recent days, terrified by the fear of being served an NRC notice and possibly deported to Bangladesh, from where he had migrated in 1972.

The victim had been living in Kolkata with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law for over 30 years.

His family claimed that although he never received any official NRC notice, he had stopped eating and often voiced panic over being “pushed back”. They believe this fear drove him to take the extreme step.

However, police investigating the case said no mention of NRC was found in the suicide note recovered from the victim. “He stated he held no one responsible for his death,” an officer said, adding that a case of unnatural death had been registered.

The incident has escalated into a political flashpoint. Trinamool Congress minister Bratya Basu alleged that Saha’s death was the result of the “humiliation and depression” inflicted by the BJP’s “selective targeting” of Bengali Hindus through NRC-related activities.

Countering the allegations, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the tragedy.

“Since the suicide note does not mention NRC, this is another attempt by the TMC to create fear among Hindus and Muslims alike. Even genuine Indian Muslim citizens will not be affected by NRC,” she said.

– Ends