Bagdah, West Bengal: In a bizarre turn of events, Jagabandhu Mondal, a 55-year-old man, has returned to his native village of Bagdah in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, after being presumed dead for 28 years. His sudden reappearance is linked to the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal.

Mondal disappeared in February 1997, leaving behind his wife, Supriya, and two young children. He had left with a group of local youths, reportedly to seek work in Gujarat. After years of searching yielded no results, the family consulted an astrologer who confirmed their worst fears. Supriya even performed her husband's shraddha (a Hindu ceremony for the deceased) and resigned herself to life as a single mother.

The family was stunned when Mondal appeared at their doorstep on Monday. Supriya recognized him instantly, despite the passage of time. "The voice, too, was unmistakably his," she said, overwhelmed by the return of the man who vanished on a winter morning nearly three decades ago. Mondal's father, Bijoy, also confirmed his identity. "His name is not there on the post-SIR 2002 rolls, but his father's name is," said Samir Guha, a local booth committee member.

Mondal stated that he had been working in Chhattisgarh and decided to return after losing his job. He claims his name is still on the voter list in Bankura. This Bankura connection has raised suspicions that he may have remarried, as a woman named Sulekha Mondal is listed next to his name on the Bankura voter list with Jagabandhu Mondal listed as her husband. Mondal denies these allegations, stating that he traveled to Gujarat and Mumbai before settling in Chhattisgarh and returning to Bankura.

According to Mondal, he needs his original voter ID and land documents to remain on the voter's list during the SIR. However, authorities are cautious. The designated Block Level Officer (BLO) said that verifying Mondal's claims and restoring his voter status may be challenging, considering his name was removed from the rolls and there is no official record of his whereabouts for the past 28 years.

This incident highlights the impact of the SIR on the lives of ordinary citizens in Bengal. While the Election Commission aims to update and purify the voter list, the process has created anxiety among some residents, particularly those who lack proper documentation or whose names were missing from previous electoral rolls. In some cases, this fear has even led to tragic consequences.

The case of Jagabandhu Mondal remains complex. While his family has welcomed him back, officials face the task of verifying his identity and determining his eligibility to be reinstated on the voter list. This situation underscores the challenges and complexities of electoral roll revision in a country with a large and mobile population.