Murshidabad BLO dies of cardiac arrest, son blames SIR
Times of India | 7 February 2026
Behrampore: A 58-year-old school teacher, working as a BLO, died at her Hariharpara home in Murshidabad on Friday due to cardiac arrest, prompting allegations that her death was caused by the stress of ongoing SIR hearings.
Maya Mukherjee's son Rubel claimed that his mother received an SIR hearing notice herself — possibly due to a name mismatch — and faced the ire of locals who blamed her for the high volume of SIR notices in the neighbourhood.
"My mother was not tech-savvy, so I helped her complete her dutiesShe only had to sign. However, she was terrified that locals might attack her or our family, " Rubel said.
Maya, BLO for booth 251 in Shripur, was admitted at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital and referred to Kolkata. She spent a week at the hospital, including five days in ICU, and was released on Wednesday. "But we could not shift her to Kolkata. Despite arranging oxygen support and care at home, she passed away at 3.30 am" Rubel added.
Jasimuddin Sheikh, Hariharpara's block Trinamool chief, said: "She was a teacher at a local Shishu Sikha Kendra and unwilling to do BLO work. She repeatedly requested to be relieved of the duty. She died solely because of immense pressure from EC."
Local Trinamool MLA Niyamot Sheikh consoled the bereaved family. Local CPM neta Insar Ali Biswas said, "EC's faulty system is responsible for this BLO's death."