A fresh tragedy has reignited concerns over the workload of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in West Bengal, as another BLO has died by suicide, allegedly due to pressure from Special Intensive Revision (SIR) duties.
The deceased, identified as 51-year-old Rinku Tarafdar from the Shasthitala area of Krishnanagar in Nadia district, was found hanging at her residence. She worked as a part-time teacher at Swami Vivekananda Vidya Mandir under Chapra police station and was serving as a BLO in the Bangaljhi area.
Police recovered a suicide note in which she reportedly mentioned she could not cope with the mounting pressure of SIR-related work and feared administrative consequences if she failed to complete her tasks. She is said to have held the Election Commission responsible for her situation, while clearly stating that her family members should not be blamed. She also reportedly wrote that the nature and intensity of the work were inhuman compared to her modest salary.
Police have registered a case of unnatural death and sent the body for a post-mortem.
The incident follows the recent suicide of another female BLO, Shanti Muni Ekka, in Jalpaiguri&rsquo;s Mal Bazar. It comes amid ongoing criticism of the Election Commission over the strain placed on ground-level staff during the SIR exercise.
[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]
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Nadia BLO dies by suicide amid SIR workload, fuelling concern over pressure on poll staff

West Bengal BLO Suicide over Poll Workload Issues

Nadia BLO dies by suicide amid SIR workload, fuelling concern over pressure on poll staff

November 22, 2025 | 17:46 IST