Government Teacher Dies While Serving as Booth-Level Officer
A 50-year-old government school teacher assigned as a booth-level officer during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Gujarat died from a heart attack in the early hours of Friday. Dinesh Raval, a resident of Sudasana village, passed away at his home during the night between Thursday and Friday, marking the fifth such death among BLOs during the current electoral exercise.
Controversy Over Work Pressure Claims
The teacher's association and opposition Congress have directly blamed the BLO's death on excessive work pressure and stress related to the SIR exercise. However, investigating officers have refuted these allegations, creating a contentious debate about the working conditions of teachers deployed for electoral duties.
According to Satlasana police sub-inspector Udaysinh Zala, Dinesh Raval was a teacher at a government primary school in Sudasana village and had recently been appointed as a BLO for carrying out the Special Intensive Revision. The police officer confirmed that Raval was rushed to a government hospital in Vadnagar after his health deteriorated at home, and the post-mortem report confirmed the cause of death as a heart attack.
Growing Concerns Over BLO Working Conditions
Congress state media convener Manish Doshi strongly criticized the government's handling of the electoral revision process. "BLOs are being put under a lot of pressure to complete the work of enumeration of voters," Doshi stated. "The ongoing SIR is an example of conducting a crucial exercise without adequate planning. Instead of holding a brainstorming session on governance, the state government should introspect the reasons why BLOs are losing their lives."
The concerns were echoed by Gujarat Rajya Prathamik Shikshak Mandal president Digvijaysinh Jadeja, who revealed that other teachers had informed him about the pressure Raval was facing due to BLO-related work. "I urge the government to find an alternative because teachers who are deployed as BLOs are under immense pressure," Jadeja emphasized. "They have to work as teachers and also as BLOs the whole year. Some are working overnight to finish the task."
Despite these serious allegations, investigating officers maintained their position that excessive SIR-related work did not cause the BLO's death. PSI Zala clarified that neither Raval's family nor his colleagues have made any allegations against anyone so far regarding work pressure contributing to his death.
Alarming Pattern of BLO Deaths Emerges
This tragic incident represents the fifth death of booth-level officers during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision in Gujarat. The pattern reveals a disturbing trend:
- Four BLOs have died from heart attacks including Dinesh Raval, Ramesh Parmar in Kheda, Kalpanaben Patel in Tapi, and Ushaben Solani in Vadodara
- One BLO committed suicide - Arvind Vadher, a school teacher deployed as BLO in Gir Somnath district
- Vadher's family claimed he left a note citing mental stress and exhaustion due to SIR work
The cluster of deaths among booth-level officers has raised serious questions about the workload and stress management for teachers taking on additional electoral responsibilities while maintaining their primary teaching duties.
