CM's claim must be examined in detail: Bengal Guv on BLO 'suicide' row

Kolkata, Nov 23 (PTI) Amid a row over alleged suicides by BLOs during the ongoing SIR in West Bengal and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioning the exercise, Governor C V Ananda Bose on Sunday said knee-jerk reactions should be avoided and asserted that the concerns raised by the CM must be examined in detail.

His comment comes after Banerjee shared a "suicide note" of a BLO on social media on Saturday and claimed that the deceased held the Election Commission responsible for the consequence.

"In these situations, it is better to avoid knee-jerk reactions. What the chief minister has pointed out has to be examined in detail and in depth," Bose told reporters at Raj Bhavan.

The Election Commission possesses a "balanced outlook", and "all these issues can be examined properly and appropriate solutions found", the governor said.

He also said free and fair elections must be ensured meticulously.

The ruling Trinamool Congress claimed that over 30 people, including BLOs, have died during the ongoing SIR exercise, which began on November 4, and demanded that the ECI take responsibility for these deaths.

"Profoundly shocked to know of the death of yet another BLO, a lady para-teacher, who has committed suicide at Krishnanagar today. BLO of part number 201 of AC 82 Chapra, Smt Rinku Tarafdar, has blamed ECI in her suicide note (copy is attached herewith) before committing suicide at her residence today," Banerjee had said in a post on X on Saturday.

The chief minister had on November 19 claimed that a booth-level officer Shanti Muni Ekka in Jalpaiguri's Mal area took her own life under the "unbearable pressure of the ongoing SIR work". PTI BSM BDC