A Booth Level Officer (BLO) assigned to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise was found dead in his rented room in Sitapur’s Ataria town, in what authorities described as a suspected suicide. The deceased, Umesh (30), a resident of Rampur Kala near the Rampur Kala police station, was identified by local police as the in-charge of instruction at Dariyapur pre-secondary school.

Police said that Umesh was alone in his room when the incident occurred. Neighbours alerted authorities after the door remained unopened for an extended period. The door, which had been secured from the inside, was cut open, and Umesh was found hanging from a noose. The post-mortem was arranged to determine the exact cause of death, with the body transported to the district headquarters for examination after legal formalities.

Family members of the deceased have alleged that Umesh was under intense pressure due to an increased workload associated with the SIR exercise, which aims to update and revise electoral rolls across the state. While the exact trigger behind the suicide remains under investigation, relatives urged authorities to consider the mental and physical toll of the rigors of field duties on BLOs, particularly during large-scale revision drives.

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Officials said the investigation is being carried out from multiple angles to uncover all aspects of the case. A formal police report will be registered following a preliminary inquiry. The SIR exercise has been ongoing in Uttar Pradesh since November and involves a range of frontline electoral duties, including verification and updation of voter information at the booth level.

The episode has reignited debate about the welfare and workloads of BLOs, a concern repeatedly voiced by opposition parties and local groups amid a series of BLO-related fatalities in parts of the state. Opposition leaders have criticized the government for not providing adequate support and stress management resources to frontline election staff during intensive revision periods. The administration has, so far, rejected outright charges of systemic neglect, stating that all safety and welfare measures are in place for field workers.

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