Twelve days since the publication of the draft electoral rolls, a booth-level officer (BLO) in Bengal has died, allegedly by suicide. A note he purportedly wrote before taking his life says that he could not bear the pressure of the the special intensive revision exercise.
Bengal BLO Who 'Died by Suicide' Was an 'Extremely Popular Headmaster,' Say Villagers - The Wire
The headmaster of the school has to send mid-day meal information of the students to a specific app at the fixed time every day. All headmasters who are serving as BLOs are also required to do this. On top of that, SIR work has been unrelenting. “Even in this situation, Haradhan went door to door in the village, distributing SIR forms, helping people fill them out correctly and collecting them,” said Amar Mahali, a resident of Rajakata village.
After this incident, several BLOs of Bankura district stated that after the publication of the draft voter list, BLOs were being asked to correct errors such as missing names or mistakes in names across various areas quickly. During the hearings, a Union government employee would be present for such cases, adding to the fear of job-related consequences.
Additionally, BLOs were required to upload all this information via their mobile phones, despite not having received proper digital training. As a result, even minor mistakes caused panic. On top of this, there is constant pressure came from concern blocks and higher authorities.
30/12/2025