Krishnanagar, West Bengal – A 51-year-old woman, Rinku Tarafdar, working as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal's Nadia district, was found dead at her residence on Saturday morning. Authorities have confirmed the death as a suicide, with a note recovered from the scene allegedly blaming the Election Commission of India (ECI) for unbearable work pressure related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Tarafdar, a para-teacher at Vivekananda Vidyamandir High School, was assigned to Booth No. 201 under the Chapra Assembly constituency. According to police reports, her body was discovered hanging in her room. A suicide note, purportedly penned by Tarafdar, expresses her distress and attributes her decision to take her life to the immense workload and related stress.

In the note, written in Bengali, Tarafdar stated that she was unable to manage the online tasks associated with the SIR, despite completing 95% of the offline work. She also mentioned informing the Block Development Office (BDO) and her supervisor about her difficulties but received no assistance. "I cannot bear this inhuman workload," she wrote, also adding, "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". She clarified that she did not support any political party and was an ordinary citizen.

This is the second reported suicide of a BLO in West Bengal within a week, and the third such death since the commencement of the SIR exercise on November 4. Just days prior, another female BLO in Jalpaiguri district's Mal Bazar allegedly committed suicide due to similar work-related pressures. News of Tarafdar's death has elicited strong reactions, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressing her shock and concern. Taking to social media, Banerjee shared the suicide note and criticized the ECI, questioning how many more lives would be lost due to the SIR.

Banerjee had previously written to the Chief Election Commissioner, urging a halt to the SIR exercise in West Bengal. The ruling Trinamool Congress claims that over 30 people, including BLOs, have died during the ongoing SIR exercise and is demanding that the ECI take responsibility for these deaths.

Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha, however, has alleged that the suicide note is fake.

The Krishnanagar Police District has registered a case of unnatural death and initiated a probe. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Senior officers have confirmed the recovery of the suicide note and are investigating the circumstances surrounding Tarafdar's death. State Minister Ujjal Biswas visited the residence of the deceased and spoke to her family members.

The incident has brought to the forefront the immense pressure faced by BLOs during the SIR, with reports of miscommunication, excessive workloads, and server issues adding to their burden. BLOs have reported immense pressure from miscommunication, workload, and server issues. The SIR exercise is intended to be a comprehensive revision of the electoral rolls, but the process has been plagued by challenges and has placed immense strain on those tasked with carrying it out.