BLO dies in Malda, family blames SIR workload for sudden death

A female Booth Level Officer (BLO) died early Wednesday in Malda, with her family attributing the death to excessive work pressure. The deceased has been identified as Samprita Chowdhury Sanyal, a resident of Phoolbari Pakur Tala in English Bazar Municipality.

Samprita, who was also an ICDS employee, was responsible for booth number 163 in ward 15 of English Bazar Municipality. Her husband said she had been feeling unwell for several days, visited a doctor, and was advised to rest. Despite medical advice, the pressure of SIR (Systematic Institutional Review) and other election-related duties continued, worsening her condition.

Local TMC councilor Gayatri Ghosh visited the family and claimed that additional workload assigned by the Election Commission was taking a toll on BLOs, especially during harsh winter. She called the incident “a tragic example of work pressure becoming deadly” and urged authorities to consider staff well-being.

BJP leaders rejected claims against the Election Commission, stating that it is incorrect to hold the body solely responsible for employee deaths. Ajay Gangopadhyay, South Malda organizational district president, added that local political leaders and party representatives also pressure BLOs to perform extensive duties, contributing to stress.

The incident has sparked public concern and political debate in Malda. Authorities are now under scrutiny to ensure election staff are not overburdened and receive adequate health and work support during election-related activities.