Mamata blames ECI for Jalpaiguri BLO's death; BJP hits back, family cites rising workload

Kolkata, Nov 19 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday tore into the Election Commission after a booth level officer in Jalpaiguri district was found hanging, alleging the "inhuman, unplanned" SIR workload is crushing field staff, even as the BLO's family flagged "unbearable pressure" and the BJP blamed state officials for the tragedy.

The deceased, 48-year-old Shantimuni Orao, an anganwadi worker serving as the BLO for booth number 20/101 under Rangamati gram panchayat, was found hanging from a tree near her home in the New Glencoe tea garden area early in the morning. Her scarf was tied around her neck, police said.

Her family alleged she died by suicide after weeks of mounting stress caused by the SIR drive.

Police from Mal police station have recovered the body and sent it to Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination. "An investigation has begun," Superintendent of Police K U Ganpat said.

Banerjee, reacting strongly on X, said she was "deeply shocked and saddened" at yet another BLO death during the revision exercise.

"Today again, we lost a Booth Level Officer in Mal, Jalpaiguri, an anganwadi worker who took her own life under the unbearable pressure of the ongoing SIR work," she wrote.

Claiming that 28 people have died since the SIR process began, she alleged that a task earlier spread over three years was being forced into two months "to please political masters", putting "inhuman pressure" on ground-level staff.

"Such precious lives are being lost because of the unplanned, relentless workload imposed by the so-called Election Commission of India. A process that earlier took three years is now being forced into two months on the eve of elections to please political masters, putting inhuman pressure on BLOs," she said.

She urged the ECI to "act with conscience" and immediately suspend the drive.

"I urge the ECI to act with conscience and immediately halt this unplanned drive before more lives are lost", she said.

TMC leaders have repeatedly accused the Election Commission of advancing deadlines and overburdening BLOs with extensive house-to-house verifications ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

At Shantimuni's home, her husband, Sukh Ekka, described a daily routine that had become "mentally unbearable". After her regular anganwadi duties and household chores, she would go out at night to collect documents and fill up forms for the revision work, he said.

"The forms are all in Bengali, but most people here speak Hindi. Mistakes were bound to happen. Every evening, people would come to our house. She couldn't handle the pressure," he told reporters.

Shantimuni had reportedly visited the block office seeking relief from the assignment but was told she had to continue as her name was on the list, the family claimed.

Local MLA and Minister of State for Backwards Classes Welfare and Tribal Development, Bulluchik Baraik, who met the bereaved family, said the SIR-related workload had created "panic" in the predominantly tribal belt.

"Because the forms are in Bengali, repeated errors were occurring in Hindi-speaking tea garden areas, increasing anxiety and mental stress," he said, adding that the state government should support the family.

The incident comes days after another BLO, Namita Hansda of Purba Bardhaman, died of a brain stroke. She was the BLO for booth 278 in Chak Balarampur, Memari, and had collapsed amid allegations of increasing work pressure.

The BJP, however, dismissed the TMC's allegations as politically motivated. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said the chief minister was attempting to shift blame onto the ECI.

"I have inquired about the incident. I have come to know that because of pressure from her senior officials of the state government, she was under immense stress and committed suicide," he claimed.

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, has sought a report from the district regarding the incident.

The ruling party and the opposition have been trading charges over the pace and scale of the SIR process, with the deaths of field-level workers emerging as a major flashpoint ahead of the polls. PTI PNT RG