An unusual death of a female BLO has been reported from West Bengal’s Krishnanagar. Her body was recovered from her residence on Saturday morning, November 22. According to police, a suicide note was recovered from the house. In the note, the woman has blamed the Election Commission for her death. She wrote in the suicide note that she was forced to take such an extreme step because she could not bear the excessive pressure of work.

The deceased has been identified as Rinku Tarafdar. The 54-year-old woman was a part-time teacher at Chapra Bangalji Swami Vivekananda Vidya Mandir. She was the BLO of booth number 201 of Chapra Panchayat number 2. Her body was recovered from her house on Saturday morning. According to police sources, a suicide note was found beside her body which read, “I want to live. My family is financially stable. But for this small job, they forced me to die.”

What does Rinku Tarafdar’s suicide note say?

Blaming the Election Commission, the teacher wrote in her suicide note, “The Election Commission is responsible for my fate. I do not support any political party. I am a very ordinary person. But I cannot bear the pressure of this inhuman work. I am a part-time teacher. The salary is very low compared to the hard work but they did not give me any relief. I have completed 95 percent of the offline work. But I cannot do anything online. Despite informing the BDO office and the supervisor, no arrangements were made. They forced me to work because there was no one in booth number 201. But later they appointed many people as BLOs in other booths. I wanted to quit from this work earlier but many people convinced me to continue. Now it seems it would have been better if I quit.”

Trinamool Congress slams Election Commission

Ruling party Trinamool Congress has taken a jibe at the Election Commission on social media over this incident. The ruling camp claims, “The Election Commission’s complex digital process, unrealistic deadlines, fear of punishment and the mental torture is being imposed on workers in the name of surveillance are completely unacceptable.”

BLO deaths in West Bengal

It is worth mentioning that several BLOs have lost their lives amid ongoing SIR in West Bengal. Shanti Muni Ekka, an Anganwadi worker and tribal woman BLO in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district died by suicide on November 19, 2025. Her family claimed she was under significant stress and had attempted to resign, but her resignation was not accepted.

Namita Hansda, a 50-year-old BLO in Purba Bardhaman district died after suffering a cerebral stroke on November 9, 2025. Her family alleged she was under pressure to complete work within tight deadlines.
Lalit Adhikari, a BLO from Cooch Behar district died in a road accident on November 21, 2025, while on duty.

Mamata Bannerjee urges ECI to halt SIR in West Bengal

Citing excess pressure on BLOs and deaths, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to halt the SIR drive. The CM claimed that a total of 28 residents of the state have died since the process began, some due to fear, uncertainty, stress, and overload. The state government has also announced compensation for the families of the deceased officers.

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