Two separate deaths of booth-level officers in Uttar Pradesh—both linked by their families to heavy workloads and alleged pressure during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls—have sparked grief, controversy, and political confrontation across the state. As the Election Commission continues a massive voter roll update across 12 states, the deaths have thrown a spotlight on the strain faced by field-level staff tasked with demanding verification work.

Moradabad Officer’s Death Exposes Growing Tensions on Ground

In Moradabad, 46-year-old assistant teacher Sarvesh Singh, recently given BLO duties for the very first time, was found dead at home early on Sunday. His wife, Babli Devi, discovered him hanging in their storage room and alerted the police immediately. Singh had been assigned to the SIR exercise on October 7 and was responsible for helping people complete their voter-related forms and uploading their details into official databases.

Authorities later recovered a two-page letter written by Singh to the district Basic Education Officer. In the note, he described the overwhelming workload and sleepless nights caused by the revision drive. “I have been working day and night but am unable to meet the SIR targets. My nights have become unbearable due to anxiety. I barely sleep for two to three hours. I have four daughters, two of whom are unwell. Please forgive me,” the note said.

Senior police officer Ashish Pratap Singh confirmed that the note pointed directly to stress from BLO assignments. A video recorded before the death also surfaced, showing Singh breaking down while saying he could not keep up despite working continuously.

Family members said the long hours of field surveys, repeated rounds of verification and data uploads, and unrelenting reporting timelines had taken a toll on him. District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Singh acknowledged the death, adding: “Preliminary information suggests he died by suicide. His quality of work was excellent. Anganwadi employees were deployed to assist him. Both administrative and police probes are underway. We will extend every possible support to the family.”

Gonda BLO’s Death Triggers Allegations of Misconduct and Caste Pressure

The shock over Singh’s death came only days after 40-year-old BLO Vipin Yadav of Gonda district died from alleged poisoning. Yadav, who also worked as an assistant teacher, had been assigned BLO duties in Khempur gram panchayat. His family claims he was subjected to extreme pressure by officials supervising the SIR programme.

A relative, speaking in a video that has since spread across social media, alleged: “The SDM and the BDO threatened him and asked him to remove the names of OBC voters. Before dying, he told me over the phone that the officers were threatening to suspend him.”

The district administration has firmly rejected these claims, calling them “completely false” and stating that no one had been instructed to target voters from any particular caste group. A committee has been set up to examine the circumstances of Yadav’s death.

Disputed Video and Conflicting Narratives

Officials said Yadav consumed poison at home on Tuesday morning. After his condition worsened, colleagues rushed him to multiple hospitals before he was shifted to Lucknow’s KGMU Trauma Centre, where he was declared dead. Doctors reportedly attempted CPR for nearly half an hour, but his condition rapidly deteriorated.

Following his death, a video recorded by his wife emerged online in which Yadav is seen saying he was under tremendous pressure tied to SIR responsibilities. His wife, with their young child beside her, said he had been distressed for several weeks.

However, Gonda District Magistrate Priyanka Niranjan disputed the allegations, saying: “There was no pressure related to SIR duty. Vipin completed 100 out of 800 forms, and work was progressing normally.” She also noted that the video seemed to have been recorded “on somebody’s instigation” and indicated that the circumstances around its creation—including the wife’s role—would be investigated.

Opposition Accuses Government of Harassment and Intimidation

The deaths have prompted sharp criticism from opposition parties, who argue that the SIR exercise is being conducted in a coercive manner. Senior Congress leader Anil Yadav said:
“The Election Commission and the BJP government together are ruining the entire country. This is not just a personal tragedy; it is a proof of the dictatorial working style of the BJP, where honest officers are threatened to remove voters’ names. A young man who works hard like a farmer to earn a living is killed under pressure. It is clear that the BJP government does not value the lives of the youth of Uttar Pradesh and issues instructions to cut names of people hailing from marginalised sections. This politics of vote-cutting, citizenship-stripping, and trampling on people’s rights must end now.”

The administration continues to deny any wrongdoing, insisting that the SIR exercise is being carried out according to established procedures and that both cases are being thoroughly examined.

ECI Extends SIR Deadline Amid Mounting Concerns

As tensions rise, the Election Commission of India has extended the SIR schedule by one week. The decision gives BLOs and Booth-Level Agents additional time to complete lists of absent, shifted, deceased, and duplicate voters, while allowing the public more time to verify their details in the electoral rolls.