BLO suicide in Bengal: Yet another booth-level officer (BLO) assigned to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal has ended his life owing to tremendous work pressure. Haradhan Mandal, 53, was found hanging inside a classroom at Rajakata Majherpara Primary School, where he served as headmaster, The Indian Express reported.
‘I made mistake, forgive me,’ said BLO in suicide note
The outlet added that police recovered a suicide note from the classroom, which pointed to overwhelming work pressure linked to the SIR exercise.
“I can no longer handle the pressure. Bidding farewell. I alone am responsible for this. No one else is. The mistake is mine,” the purported note read.
The note also mentioned that Mandal had not involved his son in electoral roll-related work because he did not “trust anyone”. He added, “Despite getting everything right, I still made a mistake. Forgive me.”
Before leaving home, Mandal told his family that he was stepping out to “collect documents” from voters. However, when he didn’t return home after leaving at around 10 am, his family went looking for him and discovered his body hanging from a ceiling fan inside the school.
Police said Mandal had been assigned BLO duties at Booth No. 206 in the Rajakata area of Ranibandh, IE reported.
‘Suffering from severe depression,’ BLO’s family alleges
Mandal’s family stated that he had been “suffering from severe depression” brought on by the heavy workload associated with the SIR exercise, which they claim he struggled to cope with.
His son, Soham Mandal, said that despite several physical ailments, his father worked late into the night to meet deadlines.
“My father was suffering from various physical ailments. Despite that, he used to work on the SIR until 3 or 4 am,” Soham was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.
He added that the mental pressure became unbearable. “On top of that, there were various other forms causing mental pressure. He could no longer bear this mental strain and committed suicide.”
Hardhan’s wife, Mala Mandal, said her husband’s routine had completely changed due to the workload. “Due to his illness, my husband used to finish his dinner and go to bed by 9 pm. But because of the SIR work, he had to stay awake throughout the night,” she was quoted by The Indian Express.
She alleged that he was forced to take this tragic step. “He tried his best to ensure there were no errors in his work. But he received no help from anyone. He was forced to take this step.”
Abhishek Banerjee blames BJP, Election Commission
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee criticised the BJP and the Election Commission over the death of the BLO.
He said, “The death toll keeps mounting. Another BLO appointed and engaged by the ECI has taken his own life under the inhuman pressure of a HURRIED, CHAOTIC and POLITICALLY-MOTIVATED SIR process.”
He added that Mandal, whom he identified as a BLO from Ranibandh Assembly Constituency, had explicitly held the nature of the task responsible in his suicide note.
“Over 50 lives have already been lost to panic, anxiety, exhaustion and fear engineered by a voter-cleansing operation designed for the BJP’s electoral gain.”
He went on to say, “What should have been a methodical process has instead been bulldozed through by a pliant, complicit Election Commission, bending its spine to serve the political arithmetic of ONE PARTY and the ego of ONE MAN. And as for the BJP, if people drop dead from fatigue, despair or terror, it is an acceptable collateral cost, a convenient footnote in their power play.”
Banerjee ended his post with the words: “History is watching. Bengal will not forgive and Bengal will not forget.”
‘If 33 BLO’s die. Is that Ok?’ asks Kapil Sibal
Senior lawyer and Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal also reacted to the death of a BLO in West Bengal. He asked if it is okay if “33 BLOs die”.
“Yet another suicide by a Bengal BLO. Total pan-India – 33,” he posted, before adding, “If one alleged ‘ghuspetia’ (infiltrator). That’s not OK.”