Nadia (West Bengal): A woman working as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal’s Nadia district was found dead at her home on Saturday morning, with her family alleging that overwhelming SIR-related workload pushed her to die by suicide.
The deceased, identified as Rinku Tarafdar, was discovered hanging from the ceiling of her room at her residence in Bangaljhi under the Chapra area of Krishnanagar, police officials said. Officers recovered a note from the spot and have sent the body for postmortem. An inquiry has been initiated to determine the circumstances leading to her death.
Family members told police that she had been under severe stress due to the ongoing Summary Revision (SIR) duties, which they claim had become mentally exhausting.
State minister Ujjal Biswas visited the family and offered condolences.
The incident comes amid growing concerns over the workload on BLOs in the state. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already urged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to pause the ongoing SIR exercise, warning that the “unplanned and coercive drive” was endangering lives and threatening the credibility of the process.
Just a day earlier, another booth-level officer in Jalpaiguri district was also found hanging, with her family attributing her death to unbearable SIR work pressure. The back-to-back incidents have intensified the debate over working conditions of field-level election staff in the state.
