BLO dies in Murshidabad, son blames relentless work pressure of ongoing SIR
Telegraph | 7 February 2026
A booth-level officer (BLO) died in Murshidabad district on Friday, with her family alleging that relentless work pressure related to the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list led to her death.
Maya Mukherjee, 58, a resident of Shripur village in Hariharpara block, suffered a cardiac attack at her home in the early hours of the morning. She was rushed to the Hariharpara block hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Mukherjee, an assistant teacher attached to a Sishu Siksha Kendra (SSK), was serving as a booth-level officer for polling booth number 251 in the Hariharpara Assembly segment. Family members said Mukherjee was a late learner who had passed her Higher Secondary examination through an open school before being appointed as an assistant teacher at the SSK in Shripur village a few years ago.
They alleged that she was unwilling to take on the additional responsibility of a BLO and had repeatedly sought exemption, but was compelled by the administration to accept the assignment. Her son, Rubel Mondal, said: “My mother was quite uncomfortable with the job as the BLO and repeatedly appealed to the administration for exemption. But she was forced to accept the charge after being convinced that the job involved only the submission of forms collected from voters.”
He alleged that the workload steadily increased, accompanied by frequent changes in instructions. “There was increasing pressure from multiple duties and constantly changing orders. My mother was not physically fit enough to undertake such pressure. The mounting workload, coupled with tension and illness, worsened her health,” Rubel said. He added that she had been admitted to a private hospital in Berhampore on December 12 due to illness but resumed work soon after.
According to the family, Mukherjee worked late into Thursday night under intense pressure. At around 3 am on Friday, she complained of severe chest pain and collapsed. “We took her to the Hariharpara block hospital, but it was too late. She died on the way, and the attending doctor declared her dead,” Rubel said.
Rubel said his mother struggled particularly with the computer-related aspects of the SIR exercise. “My mother passed her Higher Secondary examination quite late. As a result, it became very difficult for her to discharge all the computer-related jobs of the SIR exercise properly. We understood this, but there was no way to escape the responsibility,” he said.
He said fear of disciplinary action prevented her from stepping down. “Mother could not leave the job as BLO because she was afraid of losing her job as a teacher on disciplinary grounds.... The EC and the Murshidabad district administration are fully responsible for my mother’s death,” he said.
Murshidabad district magistrate Nitin Singhania expressed condolences and said an inquiry had been initiated.
“Any death is truly a sad incident. The local BDO is investigating the cause and manner of her death. We are with the bereaved family in this hour of loss and grief,” he said.