BLO Fatality Sparks Outcry Over Electoral Revision Process
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal took a tragic turn when Zakir Hossain, a 55-year-old booth-level officer, collapsed and died from cardiac arrest in Murshidabad district. The incident occurred on Thursday night, marking the fourth BLO death during this controversial electoral exercise.
Family Blames Technical Glitches and Work Pressure
Hossain's family members directly attributed his death to the immense pressure he faced while trying to upload voter data using a "partly functional" BLO application. His daughter, Jamila Khatun, revealed that her father had expressed concerns about completing the upload of approximately 750 voters, having managed only 500 entries before his untimely demise.
"The immense pressure is the main cause of my father's death," Khatun stated emotionally. "Higher-level officers as well as voters were putting pressure on him." The family emphasized that Hossain had been juggling his teaching responsibilities with BLO duties, as school authorities refused to grant him relief from regular work.
Technical Failures Compound the Crisis
Hossain's elder son, Emdadul, provided crucial details about the technical challenges his father faced. "He was over-pressured as the server became slow, and problems appeared in uploads from Wednesday evening," Emdadul explained. "He was doing the work at midnight for some days," indicating the extraordinary hours BLOs were working to meet deadlines.
Despite being rushed to Rampurhat Subdivision Hospital by local residents, doctors declared Hossain brought dead upon arrival. This incident has brought the total number of BLO fatalities in Bengal to four, with 14 additional officers currently hospitalized due to health complications during the revision process.
Political Reactions and Compensation Demands
The tragedy has triggered strong political responses, with local Trinamool MLA and Murshidabad DPSC chairman Ashis Marjit holding the central government and Election Commission directly responsible. "The central govt and especially ECI are responsible for the BLO's death," Marjit asserted.
Jangipur MP Khalilur Rahman echoed these sentiments while demanding concrete action. "The Election Commission must compensate the family. We are demanding a job for the deceased BLO's son," Rahman stated, highlighting the need for institutional accountability.
Additional Health Emergencies Reported
Simultaneously, two more BLOs experienced serious health emergencies in South 24 Parganas district. Basudev Pramanik, a 48-year-old primary school teacher assigned to booth no. 864 of Magrahat Block–I, suddenly developed severe symptoms including profuse sweating and trembling hands before collapsing at his work site.
According to relative Shampa Pramanik, Basudev had left home in the morning appearing completely normal. "He was carrying water and some light tiffin with him. We didn't expect anything like this," she expressed, underscoring the sudden nature of the health crisis.
In a separate incident, Debashish Das, 57, the BLO of booth no. 276 in Namkhana, also fell critically ill while performing his duties. His condition necessitated transfer to multiple medical facilities, culminating in admission to SSKM Hospital after his health deteriorated significantly.
His son, Saurav Das, confirmed that the incident occurred on Tuesday night and noted that while his father is now stable, "it was a very difficult situation for us." These cases collectively paint a worrying picture of the physical and mental strain on election officials during the special revision process.
