A 53-year-old Booth Level Officer (BLO) and para-teacher, Rinku Tarafdar, was found hanging in her home in Krishnagar, Nadia district, on Saturday morning, marking the third death linked to the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal within two weeks. A suicide note recovered at the scene explicitly blamed “tremendous pressure” from SIR deadlines, stating it had become impossible for her to cope with the workload. Family members said Tarafdar, who had no prior experience with large-scale computerised data entry, had been battling severe stress and depression since being assigned the additional responsibility.

Since the SIR exercise began on November 9, three BLOs in the state have died—two by suicide and one from a cerebral attack reportedly triggered by the same intense pressure. Families of all three victims have accused the Election Commission of compressing what was traditionally a three-year revision process into just three months, forcing teachers and anganwadi workers to conduct door-to-door verification while simultaneously handling massive data-entry tasks with little training or support.

On Friday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote a strongly worded letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar demanding an immediate halt to the SIR process, describing it as “unplanned, chaotic, and dangerous.” She highlighted the “unbearable human cost” and warned that the absence of basic preparedness was pushing grassroots workers to breaking point. Banerjee has announced a series of rallies starting Tuesday in Bongaon and Thakurnagar—strongholds of the influential Matua community—to mobilise public anger against both SIR and the Citizenship Amendment Act.

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The Trinamool Congress has seized on the deaths to intensify its political campaign, alleging the revision is a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise Matua and minority voters ahead of future elections. Party leaders claim thousands of legitimate names, especially from the Matua community that influences over 30 assembly seats, risk deletion due to the rushed verification process.

The Election Commission has defended the SIR as a routine pre-election exercise being conducted in nine states and three Union Territories, insisting adequate guidelines and timelines have been provided. However, opposition parties and teachers’ unions across West Bengal have called for an independent inquiry into the deaths and suspension of the drive until proper infrastructure and training are ensured.

Amid mounting criticism, the state government has directed district magistrates to provide counselling and reduce daily targets for BLOs, while several teachers’ organisations have threatened statewide protests if the SIR is not deferred. With emotions running high in the Matua belt, the controversy has emerged as a major flashpoint ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.

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