A 46-year-old Booth-Level Officer (BLO) allegedly died by suicide at his home in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad, citing work pressure related to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, police said. Over the past few weeks, several BLOs have allegedly died by suicide, blaming excessive workload and pressure from senior officials. This has fuelled a political storm as voter roll revision continues across 12 states, including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Another BLO dies in UP

Sarvesh Singh, the Moradabad BLO, left behind a note in which he wrote about sleeplessness, confusion over targets and fear of losing his job. In Bijnor, Shobha Rani, who had completed just over a third of her assigned forms, collapsed after several days of illness and extended working hours, her family said. Officials denied any direct link between their deaths and the ongoing SIR workload.

Sarvesh was posted as an assistant teacher at a primary school in Zahidpur, Bhagatpur Tanda. In his handwritten suicide note, Singh said,“Nights barely pass, and days bring no peace... I want to live, but what can I do? In this restlessness and suffocation, I feel scared within myself.”

Father of four daughters, a BLO hangs self, cites stress & inability to meet targets as reasons in note 7 BLOs Have Died During Voter List Revision So Far, including three by suicide #SIR #UttarPradesh twitter/Xq04fm2SZc

- Arvind Chauhan (@Arv_Ind_Chauhan) December 1, 2025

On Sunday, the Election Commission of India extended the SIR schedule by a week, giving voters additional time to ensure their names are correctly included in the electoral rolls. Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth-Level Agents (BLAs) have also been given an additional seven days to submit lists of absent, shifted, deceased, and duplicate voters.

Five other BLOs have died while working on the SIR process in Uttar Pradesh. On Nov 25, Sudhir Kumar Kuril, 27, a lekhpal from Fatehpur, allegedly died by suicide a day before his wedding. His sister alleged he had been threatened with dismissal by officials if his targets were not met. Based on her complaint, a revenue inspector and another person were booked for abetment of suicide and under the SC/ST Act.

On the same day, Vipin Yadav, 35, an assistant teacher posted in Jaitpur Majha, Gonda, reportedly consumed poison at his rented accommodation. A video recorded by his wife surfaced online in which Yadav said he was under pressure from officials. The district administration denied these allegations and attributed the death to domestic reasons.

Three others died of medical emergencies while on SIR duty: Sarvesh Kumar Gangwar, 47, an assistant teacher in Bareilly, died of cardiac arrest on Nov 26; Vijay Kumar Verma, 40, a shiksha mitra in Lucknow, died of a brain haemorrhage on Nov 22; and Ranju Dubey, 44, a shiksha mitra in Deoria, died of a heart attack on Nov 25.

BLO deaths in West Bengal

A Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal died by suicide on Saturday, just days after a BLO from Jalpaiguri district took her life on Wednesday. The incident intensified the ruling Trinamool Congress's campaign against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Since November 9, three BLOs have died, including two by suicide. Another officer succumbed to a cerebral attack in Memari, Bardhaman district, reportedly triggered by unbearable work pressure linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Bereaved families of the three deceased have alleged that the deaths were caused by deep depression resulting from the“unbearable” workload linked to the electoral roll revision drive in the state.

On Saturday, the body of 53-year-old BLO Rinku Tarafdar was recovered from her house in Krishnagar, Nadia district. She was found hanging from the ceiling of her room. According to police sources, a suicide note was recovered, stating:“There will be tremendous pressure on us (BLOs) if we can't complete SIR-related work by stipulated timelines. It was not possible for me to bear the work pressure.”

Family members alleged that Rinku took her life because she could not cope with the daily workload.“She was a para-teacher but was never accustomed to computerised work like data entry of voter names after door-to-door distribution and collection of filled enumeration forms following thorough verification. She was virtually forced to do the SIR job by the administration. Finally, she killed herself because of depression and stress,” they said.

Politics erupt: Who said What?

Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, requesting a halt to the SIR process.“Now, I am compelled to write to you as the situation surrounding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has reached a deeply alarming stage. The manner in which this exercise is being forced upon officials and citizens is not only unplanned and chaotic, but also dangerous. The absence of even basic preparedness, adequate planning, or clear communication has crippled the process from day one,” her letter states.

“The human cost of this management is now unbearable. Yesterday, an anganwadi worker serving as a BLO in Mal, Jalpaiguri, died by suicide reportedly under crushing SIR-related pressure. Several others have lost their lives since this process began. A revision that previously required three years is now being forcibly compressed into three months, subjecting BLOs and officials to inhuman working conditions and forcing common people under the shadow of fear and uncertainty,” the letter adds.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Monday called on the Central government to allow for a discussion on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across the country, calling the recent reported deaths of the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) as "intolerable."

"The entire nation saw during the previous session that the opposition was demanding a discussion on SIR...If BLOs who have been assigned to carry out the SIR exercise are dying by suicide, this is intolerable and any government which follows the Constitution should allow for a discussion on it," Tiwari told ANI here.

Tiwari's remarks come ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, where the Opposition is expected to raise concerns over the ongoing SIR exercise, which has reportedly placed enormous pressure on BLOs, allegedly leading to multiple deaths and widespread anxiety among citizens.

Congress MP K Suresh on Monday criticised the government, accusing it of being "unwilling to discuss" the deaths of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the Centre is only pushing its own agenda as the winter session of Parliament begins today.

Speaking to ANI, the Congress MP in the Lok Sabha alleged that the centre was ignoring pressing issues raised by the opposition ahead of the session, noting that an adjournment motion notice has been submitted in the Lok Sabha to discuss the matter.

He further stated that the Rajya Sabha LoP, Mallikarjun Kharge, has also convened a meeting of the INDIA bloc parties at 10 am today to finalise the alliance's strategy ahead of the session

"The opposition is going to raise the SIR issue. Due to pressure and torture from the Election Commission and the heavy workload, many BLOs are under mental stress, which is why many BLOs have committed suicide. This is a very serious issue that the government is unwilling to discuss," Suresh said.

"We have already given an adjournment motion to discuss it, and at 10 am, Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge has called a meeting of opposition parties, where we will make the final decision. We are also ready to cooperate with the government. But the government is prioritising its own agenda. Furthermore, they are unwilling to discuss whatever the opposition is saying. That is the problem," he added.

(With inputs from ANI)

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