Dual duties allegedly drive BLO to suicide
Babushahi Bureau
Murshidabad (West Bengal), January 11, 2026: In a tragic incident, the body of a Booth Level Officer (BLO) was found hanging inside a room of a school in Murshidabad district of West Bengal on Saturday night. Family members have alleged that excessive workload and dual responsibilities may have driven him to take the extreme step.
The deceased has been identified as Hamimul Islam (47), a teacher at Krishnapur Boys’ Primary School and posted as a BLO at a polling station under Kharibona Gram Panchayat. According to the family, Hamimul left for school on Saturday morning but did not return home by afternoon. After a search, his body was found hanging in a room within the school premises later that night.
Police from Raninagar police station took custody of the body and sent it for post-mortem examination. An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the exact circumstances leading to the death.
Family members alleged that Hamimul Islam was under severe mental stress due to the burden of managing teaching duties along with BLO responsibilities. His elder brother, Farman-ul-Kalam, claimed that pressure related to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) work had increased significantly in recent weeks and had become overwhelming.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA from Bhagabangola, Riyaz Hossain Sarkar, visited the bereaved family and alleged that the Election Commission was rushing the SIR process, resulting in excessive workload on BLOs. He said officers were being assigned multiple tasks, including mapping and de-mapping, placing them under immense pressure.