West Bengal: BLO Found Hanging; Family Alleges Pressure Due to SIR

The BLO's family alleges that he took his own life due to excessive work pressure related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

An officer from Ranitala police station stated that the deceased has been identified as Hamimul Islam (47), who was a teacher at Paikmari Char Krishnapur Boys Primary School and served as a BLO for a booth in Purba Alaipur village under Kharibona Gram Panchayat.

The officer said the incident came to light late Saturday night in the Paikmari Char area under Ranitala police station jurisdiction. Family members alleged that Hamimul left home in the morning on Saturday to go to school but did not return by afternoon.

The police officer reported, "After extensive search, his body was found hanging in a room within the school premises on Saturday night. The police recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem. The investigation into the case is ongoing."

According to the police officer, family members alleged that Hamimul was under severe stress due to the workload arising from his dual responsibilities as a teacher and BLO.

Trinamool Congress MLA from Bhagabangola, Riyaz Hussain Sarkar, met with the family and alleged that the Election Commission is rushing the SIR process, resulting in excessive pressure on BLOs.

The police officer stated that all aspects of the case are being investigated.This incident is part of a series of reported suicides and deaths among Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in West Bengal since the Election Commission of India's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls began in late 2025, aimed at updating voter lists ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

The SIR involves intensive house-to-house verification, document checks, and deletions/additions, which BLOs — often school teachers handling dual duties — have described as creating immense workload and stress.

Multiple similar cases have been reported across districts, with opposition parties like TMC blaming the rushed timeline and high targets for the tragedies, while the process continues with draft rolls published in December 2025 and final rolls expected in February 2026.