Second BLO Death in West Bengal Sparks Political Storm
West Bengal witnessed another tragic incident on Saturday when a Booth Level Officer (BLO) was found dead in Nadia district, marking the second such case within a week. The deceased, identified as Rinku Tarafdar, a 52-year-old part-time teacher, was discovered hanging in her room at her home in Bangaljhi, Chapra, Krishnanagar.
Family Points to Work Pressure as Cause
According to police statements to PTI, Tarafdar's family revealed she had been experiencing extreme stress due to her Special Intensive Revision (SIR) workload. The intense revision drive, currently underway across the state, appears to have taken a severe toll on the part-time teacher who served as a BLO.
Investigating officers confirmed that police recovered a note from her room and sent the body for postmortem examination. While the exact contents of the note haven't been disclosed publicly, authorities have initiated a thorough probe into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Political Reactions and Blame Game
The incident triggered immediate political reactions, with TMC MP Mahua Moitra directly targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. In a strongly worded statement, Moitra asserted, "Sir, you are directly responsible for the death of Rinku Tarafdar" due to the unbearable pressure of BLO duties.
This tragedy comes just days after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had formally requested the Election Commission to halt the SIR exercise in Bengal. In her Thursday letter to Commissioner Kumar, Banerjee warned that the continuous "unplanned and coercive drive" would endanger more lives and compromise the legitimacy of the electoral revision process.
The political significance of this case is amplified by the fact that this is the second BLO suicide in West Bengal within days. Earlier this week, another booth-level officer in Jalpaiguri district died by suicide, with her family similarly citing unbearable SIR work pressure as the cause.
Official Response and Visit
Demonstrating the seriousness of the situation, Bengal minister Ujjal Biswas visited Tarafdar's family on Saturday to offer condolences and assess the situation firsthand. The minister's visit underscores the growing concern about the working conditions and mental health pressures facing electoral staff across the state.
As investigations continue and the political debate intensifies, this tragic incident raises critical questions about workload management for electoral staff and the implementation of revision drives without adequate support systems.
