Mamata Banerjee claimed that this is the 28th such incident since the SIR began, in which many people have taken their own lives due to fear, uncertainty, stress, and workload.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep sorrow and grief over the death of Booth Level Officer Shanti Muni Ekka, who committed suicide due to the unbearable pressure of the Special Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) work. Mamata Banerjee claimed that this is the 28th such incident since the SIR began, in which many people have taken their own lives due to fear, uncertainty, stress, and workload.

“I am deeply shocked and saddened. Today again, we lost a Booth Level Officer – Mrs. Shanti Muni Ekka, a tribal woman, an Anganwadi worker – in the Mall of Jalpaiguri, who took her own life due to the unbearable pressure of the ongoing SIR work,” she said.

Since the implementation of the SIR, 28 people have lost their lives—some due to fear and uncertainty, others due to stress and workload. These precious lives are being lost due to the unplanned, relentless workload imposed by the so-called Election Commission of India.

A process that previously took three years to complete is now being completed in two months just before elections to appease political masters, putting inhuman pressure on BLOs. I urge the ECI to act with discretion and immediately stop this unplanned campaign before more lives are lost.

Earlier, Congress MP J.B. Mather had also expressed shock and grief over the alleged suicide of a booth level officer (BLO) in Kannur, Kerala. He claimed that the incident was due to the immense pressure on BLOs during the special revision of the voter list.

“It is extremely sad and unfortunate that the electoral system and the Election Commission do not understand the pressure on BLOs. This is not just an isolated case… We are against the hasty conduct of SIR. This is an example of how a system can take a person’s life. This is truly murder by the system,” Mather told ANI.