The death of yet another Block Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal has ignited a fresh wave of political and administrative concern, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launching a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI). The incident occurred in Krishnanagar, Nadia, where 53-year-old para-teacher and BLO Rinku Tarafdar was found hanging in her home early on Saturday.
Tarafdar, assigned to booth number 201 of the Chapra Assembly constituency (AC-82), reportedly left behind a suicide note blaming the workload and pressure associated with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
According to family members, Rinku had been struggling with mental stress for days. Her limited computer skills, combined with strict administrative deadlines, fear of punitive action for errors, and rising work targets, allegedly pushed her into a psychological breakdown. Police have begun an investigation into the incident.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reacted sharply and emotionally, questioning the Election Commission’s responsibility in the growing list of deaths linked to the SIR drive.
In a strongly worded post on X, she wrote: “How many more need to die for this SIR? How many more dead bodies shall we see for this process? This has become truly alarming now!!”
Expressing shock over Rinku’s death, she added, “Profoundly shocked to know of the death of yet another BLO… Smt Rinku Tarafdar has blamed ECI in her suicide note before committing suicide at her residence today.”
This comes just two days after the Chief Minister wrote a detailed letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, highlighting multiple suicides of BLOs and even ordinary citizens across Bengal. She accused the ECI of “rushing” the voter list revision process and urged the Commission to immediately suspend the SIR exercise.
Meanwhile, government and administrative circles are now openly discussing the urgent need for mental health safeguards, stress-reduction measures, and proper support structures for temporary and government workers tasked with election-related duties.
Reacting to questions, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal acknowledged workload pressure but defended the process. “We have to complete the work within a specific time frame, so there is a little pressure,” he said, adding that similar SIR exercises had been carried out in Bihar. He also noted that while the maximum number of voters per booth is 1,200, the average remains around 800 in most areas.
However, as another life is lost under the weight of electoral responsibilities, Mamata’s sharp criticism has brought the human cost of the SIR process under intense public scrutiny, prompting renewed questions about the Election Commission’s accountability and the safety of frontline staff.
Also read: Mamata to hold rally amid rising Matua concerns over SIR
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