Another BLO dies by suicide in West Bengal, family alleges SIR-related stress; TMC hits out at Gyanesh Kumar

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock over the incident on social media

A booth level officer (BLO) in West Bengal’s Nadia district was founder dead at her residence on Saturday morning. Her family members alleged that she had been under extreme stress due to her special intensive revision (SIR) workload, police told PTI.

The BLO, identified as Rinku Tarafdar, was found hanging from the ceiling of her room at her home in the Bangaljhi area of Chapra, Krishnanagar.

“The family is claiming that she was under immense pressure due to her SIR workload. We have recovered a note from her room. The body has been sent for postmortem. A necessary probe is underway,” an officer told PTI.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock over the incident on social media. Taking to X, she wrote, “Profoundly shocked to know of the death of yet another BLO, a lady para- teacher, who has  committed suicide at Krishnanagar today. BLO of part number 201 of AC 82 Chapra, Smt Rinku Tarafdar, has blamed ECI in her suicide note (copy is attached herewith) before committing suicide at her residence today.”

“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!!” she added.

Banerjee has urged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to suspend the ongoing SIR in Bengal.

On Thursday, she wrote to the CEC, stating that the continuous “unplanned and coercive drive" could endanger more lives and undermine the legitimacy of the exercise.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra, reacting to the incident said, “This is a message for Gyanesh Kumar, the not-so-honourable Election Commissioner of India: Sir, you are directly responsible for the death of Rinku Tarafdar, a 52-year-old part-time teacher who took her own life late last night due to the unbearable pressure of having to work as a Booth Level Officer.”

On Wednesday, a booth-level officer in Jalpaiguri district was found hanging, with her family claiming that "unbearable SIR work pressure" was responsible for her death.