A tragic case has emerged from Nadia district in West Bengal, where a Booth Level Officer (BLO) died by suicide. The deceased has been identified as Rinku Tarafdar, a resident of the Shasteetala area in Krishnanagar. She was posted as the BLO of Booth No. 202 in Bengaljhi under Chapra police station limits. According to her family, she left behind a suicide note in which she allegedly blamed the Election Commission and administrative pressure for her death.
Family says she was overburdened despite being a para-teacher
Rinku was a para-teacher by profession, and her family claims she was not given any relaxation or support despite this. Instead, she was made to handle the heavy workload of a BLO.
The suicide note reportedly mentions that Rinku had completed 90% of her assigned work, but she was extremely stressed because she was struggling to finish the online procedures. The family says she was not very skilled with online tasks, which added to her anxiety.
Rinku’s note allegedly reads, “I am not able to bear this pressure. I don’t want to suffer a stroke.” Her family says she appeared normal till around 11 pm the previous night, but by morning, she was back to working under pressure and may have mentally collapsed due to stress.
Family Demands Fair Investigation
The family has questioned why such a huge responsibility was given to a simple homemaker and para-teacher. They said, “How can officials not understand how much work a person can handle?” They have demanded a fair and thorough investigation into the incident. The local police are currently looking into the case.
In the past few weeks, several BLO deaths and suicides have been reported from different states. Apart from West Bengal, cases have come from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With this incident from Nadia district, the number of BLOs who have died due to work pressure has now reportedly reached nine.
Disclaimer: The content discusses suicide and may be triggering for some readers. Suicides are preventable. If you need support, you can reach out to helplines such as Sumaitri (011-23389090) or the Sneha Foundation (044-24640050).
