A major political storm erupted in West Bengal after Booth Level Officer (BLO) Shantimuni Orao, 48, was found hanging near her home in Jalpaiguri. Her family alleged that she died by suicide due to extreme workload created by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the Election Commission, claiming 28 people had died due to SIR-related stress, calling the exercise “unplanned and coercive.” She urged the ECI to halt the process.
The BJP hit back, accusing Mamata of shifting blame and protecting an “infiltrator-driven voter base.” BJP’s Amit Malviya alleged that TMC’s “voter-fraud syndicate” was collapsing, while Suvendu Adhikari claimed the BLO was pressured by state officials, not the ECI.
Congress also criticised the SIR, calling it a tool for “vote theft.”
The BLO’s husband said she struggled to handle both anganwadi duties and late-night SIR work, especially since forms were in Bengali while locals spoke Hindi. The state CEO has sought a report, and an investigation is underway.
