West Bengal BLO Dies by Suicide, Citing Election Commission Pressure – Second Such Case in a Week
krishnanagar, Nadia, West Bengal – A para teacher working as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in Nadia district died by suicide today, leaving a note blaming teh Election commission of India (ECI) for her death, according to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. This marks the second such incident in the state within the past week, escalating concerns over the intense pressure associated with the Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) process.
Banerjee shared images of the two-page note, written in Bengali, on X (formerly Twitter). The deceased, a 53-year-old woman from Chapra, identified as a BLO for part number 201 of Assembly Constituency 82, detailed feeling “humiliated” and driven to suicide by the demands of the job.
“I want to live. My family lacks nothing. But for this modest job, they pushed me to such humiliation that I was left with no choice but to die,” the note reportedly states, directly holding the ECI responsible. The BLO also expressed unfamiliarity with the online components of the SIR process, stating she had completed 95% of the offline tasks but struggled with the digital requirements. She affirmed she did not support any political party and described herself as a “vrey simple person” unable to withstand the “inhuman pressure.”
Banerjee responded to the news with a strongly worded post on X, stating, “Profoundly shocked to know of the death of yet another BLO… How many more lives will be lost? How many more need to die for this SIR? How many more dead bodies shall we see for this process? This has become truly alarming now!!”
The incident follows the suicide of an anganwadi worker engaged as a BLO in Jalpaiguri district last week, with her family also attributing the death to work pressure related to SIR. banerjee had previously, on Thursday, requested Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to halt the SIR exercise, alleging it was “unplanned and coercive” and risked further loss of life and jeopardizing the process’s legitimacy.
A senior official at the Chief electoral Officer’s (CEO) office confirmed that the Nadia District Magistrate, also the District Electoral Officer, has been instructed to submit a report on the BLO’s death.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has claimed that at least 34 people have died by suicide in the state due to SIR, attributing the deaths to ECI negligence. TMC representatives met with CEO Manoj Agarwal to voice their concerns,also citing issues with the BLO app frequently malfunctioning and a lack of adequate training for BLOs.
West bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya called for an examination into the death, questioning why similar incidents haven’t been reported in other states were SIR is also underway. He suggested the TMC’s claim of 20 million potentially ineligible voters indicates the party is concerned about scrutiny of the electoral rolls.
The SIR process is a nationwide effort by the ECI to update voter lists, ensuring accuracy and eliminating duplicate or deceased entries. It is being conducted together in 12 states and Union Territories.
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