Another Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal’s Malda district, identified as Samprita Chowdhury Sanyal (48), passed away due to alleged excessive work pressure related to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Sanyal, an Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) worker serving as a BLO, died at her residence in the Phulbari Pakurtala area. Her family claimed that she faced severe stress from continuous work demands, worsened by the cold weather.
Sanyal’s husband mentioned that despite falling ill and medical advice to rest, she couldn’t take leave due to official deadlines. He highlighted the immense work pressure faced by BLOs, affecting her both mentally and physically. Trinamool Congress councillor Gayatri Ghosh criticized the Election Commission after visiting the bereaved family, citing the increasing pressure on BLOs due to frequent rule changes.
In response to the allegations, Ajay Ganguly, president of the BJP’s South Malda district, dismissed them as politically motivated. Ganguly emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into the actual causes of such deaths, refuting claims that BLOs were dying due to SIR work. He also accused the Trinamool government of pressuring BLOs not to remove names from the voter list.
