A Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal’s Nadia district was found hanging inside her Krishnanagar residence on Saturday, sparking an intense political confrontation between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP. Her family alleged she was under severe SIR work-related stress, a claim that unleashed a broader debate on the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Summary Revision (SIR) exercise.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep shock over the woman’s death, calling the situation “truly alarming now.”
In a post on X, Banerjee said the deceased — 52-year-old para-teacher Rinku Tarafdar, working as BLO of Part No. 201 of AC 82 Chapra — had held the Election Commission of India responsible in her suicide note.
According to the note shared by the CM, the deceased wrote she was not associated with any political party and added: “I wanted to live. My family lacks nothing. But, for this modest job, they pushed me to such humiliation that I was left with no choice but to die. The Election Commission is responsible for this consequence.”
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… pic.twitter.com/xG0TyD4VNy
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) November 22, 2025
She further wrote: “I cannot bear this inhuman workload… I had completed 95 per cent of the offline work, but I was unable to manage the online tasks. Despite informing the BDO office and my supervisor, no action was taken.”
Banerjee asked, “How many more lives will be lost? How many more need to die for this SIR?”
Page 1 of the suicide note (Photo shared by CM Mamata Banerjee/X)
Page 2 of the suicide note (Photo shared by CM Mamata Banerjee/X)
TMC Claims 34 Deaths Linked to SIR Exercise
The ruling Trinamool Congress alleged that 34 individuals, including BLOs, had died since the SIR exercise began on November 4, urging the Election Commission to take responsibility.
State minister Ujjal Biswas visited the woman’s home and met her family, who maintained she had been overwhelmed by SIR duties.
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According to police, the woman was found hanging inside her Bangaljhi residence. Officers confirmed a note had been recovered and the body sent for postmortem.
A senior officer said: “The family is claiming she was under immense pressure due to her SIR workload. A probe is underway.”
BJP Rejects TMC’s Claims, Calls Suicide Note ‘Fake’
Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha countered Banerjee’s accusation, calling the alleged note “fake” and challenging the TMC to demand a CBI investigation.
Sinha said: “If the TMC leaders are brave enough, they should demand a CBI investigation… The suicide note is fake, just like the one in the Panihati case.”
He even questioned whether local political pressure was involved, saying: “Who knows whether the TMC was asking her to record names of the deceased or fake voters, and whether the BLO, unable to cope with that pressure, ended her life?”
Just days earlier, another BLO in Jalpaiguri district was also found hanging. Her family similarly cited unbearable SIR workload, intensifying statewide concern over the exercise.
ECI Seeks Urgent Report from Nadia Officials
The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) requested an immediate report from district authorities.
An official said: “We need to understand whether the reported reason behind her death is correct or not.”
A TMC delegation led by Arup Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Partha Bhowmick met the CEO and submitted a detailed memorandum.
They alleged:
- Work normally taking two years is being forced into two months
- 150–200 voter names are deliberately omitted per booth
- The ECI website contains numerous errors
- BLOs are being pressured without adequate training
Bhattacharya said BLOs were under “undue pressure” that was putting lives at risk.
