TMC has claimed that at least 40 people have died due to issues related to the Bengal SIR.
Bengal SIR suicide: Amid allegations by the ruling Trinamool Congress about the ongoing SIR exercise triggering panic in West Bengal, a Booth Level Officer (BLO) allegedly died due to suicide in the state’s Bankura district on Sunday, leaving behind a purported suicide note in which he mentioned not being able to cope with work pressure linked to the Bengal SIR.
According to the police, Haradhan Mandal, a government school teacher, was found dead in Ranibandh block of West Bengal’s Bankura district, where he had been deputed as a BLO. Mandal’s body was recovered from the premises of a school on Sunday morning, they said.
“Mandal was a schoolteacher by profession and served as the BLO of Booth No. 206 under the Rajakata area of Ranibandh block,” an officer said, adding that a note bearing Mandal’s signature was recovered from the spot, in which he reportedly referred to being unable to cope with work pressure.
The officer said police have seized the note and sent the body for post-mortem examination, adding that an investigation has been launched to ascertain the circumstances leading to Mandal’s death, and all possible angles are being examined.
The BLO’s death comes amid allegation by the TMC that at least 40 people have died in the state due to SIR-related issues. Earlier this month, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had claimed that “till now, 39 ordinary citizens, including four BLOs, have died due to SIR panic, including suicides.”
In November, a 10-member TMC delegation led by TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien, had raised the issue during a meeting with the full bench of the Election Commission, including Chief Election Commission (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
After the meeting, TMC claimed CEC Gyanesh Kumar did not answer any of their queries, and accused Kumar of having “blood on his hands”
West Bengal SIR began on November.
