A Booth Level Officer (BLO), who was also a school headmaster, died by suicide in West Bengal's Bankura district on Sunday, December 29, 2025, leaving behind a note that blamed the immense pressure of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Tragic Discovery in a School Classroom
The body of Haradhan Mandal (53) was discovered hanging inside a classroom of the Rajakata Majherpara Primary School in the Ranibandh block, where he served as the headmaster. Mandal had left his home around 10 am, telling his family he was going to collect voter documents. When his concerned family later went to the school to look for him, they found his body.
Police confirmed that a purported suicide note was recovered from the spot. In the note, Mandal, who was responsible for BLO duties at booth number 206 in the Rajakata area, explicitly cited the stress of the SIR work as the reason for his extreme step.
The Suicide Note and Family's Anguish
The note contained a poignant message of despair. "I can no longer handle the pressure. Bidding farewell. I alone am responsible for this. No one else is. The mistake is mine," it read. Mandal added that he performed all the work himself and did not seek help from his son, stating, "I did not trust anyone. Despite getting everything right, I still made a mistake. Forgive me."
His family described a man buckling under an unsustainable workload. His son, Soham Mandal, said his father was suffering from severe depression due to the SIR tasks, working until 3 or 4 am despite physical ailments. Mandal's wife, Mala, stated that the night-long work schedule, a drastic change from his usual routine of sleeping by 9 pm due to illness, caused immense mental strain.
Political Storm Erupts Over Responsibility
The incident triggered a fierce political blame game. Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee squarely blamed the Election Commission of India (ECI). In a post on X, he accused the ECI of conducting a "hurried, chaotic and politically-motivated SIR process" that led to over 50 deaths from panic and exhaustion. He alleged the process was designed for the BJP's electoral gain.
The BJP strongly rejected the allegations. The party's West Bengal observer, Mangal Pandey, countered that the SIR was conducted smoothly in Bihar following ECI directives. He claimed that in Bengal, the Chief Minister's opposition to the SIR led to local administration and TMC leaders pressuring BLOs to work incorrectly, resulting in tragedies. Pandey asserted that the state government and TMC must take full responsibility.
The tragedy has cast a spotlight on the intense second phase of the SIR, which involves hearings for unapped voters, a process that had begun just two days prior to Mandal's death.
