In Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district, a 46-year-old Booth-Level Officer (BLO), Sarvesh Singh, allegedly died by suicide at his residence on Sunday, citing unbearable work pressure linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, police said.
The incident has added to growing concerns, as several BLOs across the state and elsewhere have reportedly taken their lives in recent weeks, attributing their decisions to excessive workload and relentless pressure from senior officials during the nationwide voter list revision drive currently underway in 12 states: Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.
Sarvesh Singh was an assistant teacher by profession and had been assigned BLO duties for the first time on October 7. A Booth-Level Officer serves as the grassroots interface between the Election Commission and voters, responsible for assisting the public with election forms and uploading verified data into official portals.
A video purportedly recorded by Singh shortly before his death has surfaced, in which the officer is seen sobbing uncontrollably while speaking directly to the camera. Overcome with emotion, he repeatedly apologises to his mother and sister and begs them to look after his four young daughters.
“Mother, please take care of my daughters. Please forgive me. I could not complete the task. I am going to take a drastic step,” he says in the video, tears streaming down his face. He explicitly states that no one should be held responsible for his decision and requests that his family not be harassed or questioned about the matter.
“I am in deep distress. I haven’t been able to sleep for the last 20 days. I have four young daughters. Others are able to complete the work, but I am not,” he continues, crying inconsolably. Turning to his sister, he adds, “I am going far away from this world. Sorry, sister. In my absence, please take care of my children.”
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Early Sunday morning, his wife, Babli Devi, discovered him hanging in the storage room of their house and immediately informed the police.
A two-page handwritten suicide note addressed to the district Basic Education Officer was recovered from the scene. In it, Singh detailed the mental toll the assignment had taken on him: “I have been working day and night but am unable to meet the SIR targets. My nights have become unbearable due to anxiety. I barely sleep for two to three hours. I have four daughters, two of whom are unwell. Please forgive me.”
Senior police officer Ashish Pratap Singh confirmed the authenticity of the note and told reporters, “The note states that he could not cope with the burden of BLO duty. Further legal proceedings are underway.”
Also Read: Kannur BLO dies by suicide; family blames SIR work stress
Family members said Sarvesh Singh had been under severe stress because of the non-stop cycle of door-to-door surveys, data verification, and repeated reporting deadlines imposed under the massive SIR exercise.
District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Singh confirmed the death and described the deceased teacher as a dedicated worker. “Preliminary information suggests he died by suicide. His quality of work was excellent. Anganwadi employees were deployed to assist him. Both administrative and police probes are underway. We will extend every possible support to the family,” the DM said.
In a related development on the same day, the Election Commission of India announced a one-week extension of the Special Intensive Revision schedule, granting voters additional time to ensure their names are correctly included in the electoral rolls. Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth-Level Agents (BLAs) have also been given an extra seven days to submit lists of absent, shifted, deceased, and duplicate voters.
Also Read: Another Bengal BLO commits suicide; sparks outrage on rushed SIR
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