Detailed report on the SIR Controversy, rising BLO deaths, political outrage from Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav, and the pressure surrounding India’s Special Intensive Revision drive.
By Qalam Times News Network
Kolkata | 23 November 2025
A Crisis That Isn’t Slowing Down
SIR Controversy took a darker turn this weekend as three more booth-level officials died under distressing circumstances in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, pushing the total number of BLO deaths since the revision drive began to eight. The chain of incidents has intensified political outrage, with Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav accusing the Election Commission of pushing workers into dangerous levels of stress.
SIR Controversy Sparks New Political Firestorms
At the centre of the SIR Controversy is the death of 51-year-old schoolteacher Rinki Tarafdar from Nadia, West Bengal. She was found hanging in her home on Saturday morning. Her family said she had been overwhelmed by the workload of the Special Intensive Revision, the high-speed voter list update drive underway across 12 states.
Police recovered a suicide note in which she blamed the Election Commission for unbearable pressure, writing that she was “an ordinary person who cannot survive such unjust work burden.”
Two more BLOs—Ramakant Pandey and Sitaram Gond—from Raisen and Damoh in Madhya Pradesh also died within hours of each other. Another BLO, Narayan Das Soni, has been missing for six days. Pandey’s wife alleged that he had been working through nights to meet deadlines and collapsed from exhaustion before being taken to a hospital.
In Gujarat, 50-year-old teacher Rameshbhai Parmar died of a heart attack at his residence during SIR duties. Similar deaths have been reported earlier from Kerala and Rajasthan. Everywhere, families have raised the same concern: excessive workload, relentless targets, and no safety net.
Protests Sweep Bengal
The deaths have rattled the BLO community across Bengal. BLOs—who include teachers, contract instructors, Anganwadi workers, postmen, nurses, and panchayat staff—must conduct door-to-door verification, complete forms, upload digital entries, and meet tight daily timelines.
In Kolkata’s Beliaghata area, seven BLOs received show-cause notices for minor digital-entry lapses, triggering a new wave of anxiety. In Katwa, East Burdwan, BLOs marched in protest asking, “How long will this continue?”
Mamata Banerjee, reacting sharply to the latest suicide, demanded accountability from the Election Commission:
“How many more lives will be lost? How many bodies does this process require? This has become deeply disturbing.”
Teacher unions in Gujarat have demanded ₹1 crore compensation for each deceased BLO, while in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district, the administration has tried to defuse tension by offering certificates and family outings as “motivation.”
Election Commission Under Spotlight
West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal has sought a formal report from the Nadia district administration on Tarafdar’s death. The Election Commission has also contacted the district magistrate directly. A similar report from Jalpaiguri regarding an earlier BLO death is still awaited.
Agarwal said that “99% of BLOs are working tirelessly from morning until night,” and that the entire SIR exercise depends on their labour.
Akhilesh Yadav Warns of Mass Voter Deletions
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the SIR drive is being used to cut between 1.5 to 2 crore voters in Uttar Pradesh.
He alleged that in assembly segments where the INDIA bloc won in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, nearly 50,000 names are being removed from each constituency. He demanded an extension of the SIR timeline and warned officials that any manipulation would not be tolerated.
“If someone is seen relaxing in Lucknow instead of monitoring SIR in their area, their ticket will be cancelled,” he told party workers. He added: “If there is wrongdoing, prison will follow. This time there will be no mistakes.”
A Process Under Pressure
The SIR, normally conducted over three years, has been compressed into a two-month window ahead of the 2026 assembly polls. Opposition parties call it “unplanned, coercive and unsafe,” while the BJP accuses state governments—particularly in Bengal—of mismanagement.
For now, the Election Commission has given no indication that the drive will be paused despite the rising unrest.
