"Death of 33 BLOs okay?," asks Kapil Sibal after Bankura headmaster's suicide

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday took a sharp swipe at the government over the deaths of booth-level officers involved in the Special Intensive Revision exercise, questioning whether the loss of 33 BLOs across the country was being treated as acceptable. His remarks came amid rising concerns over work-related pressure linked to the ongoing revision of electoral rolls.

Sibal’s statement followed the death of a BLO in West Bengal’s Bankura district, where the body of Haradhan Mandal was found inside a school premises in the Ranibandh block. Police recovered a suicide note from the spot, in which the deceased reportedly mentioned his inability to cope with work pressure associated with his BLO duties.

In a post on social media, Sibal said that while the government claims the presence of even one alleged infiltrator is unacceptable, the deaths of 33 BLOs nationwide appear to be ignored. He questioned the priorities of the administration and called attention to the human cost of the exercise.

Booth-level officers play a crucial role in the Special Intensive Revision process, which has already been completed in Bihar and is currently underway in 12 States and Union Territories. The recent incident has intensified political debate and raised fresh concerns about the workload and pressure faced by field-level election workers.