A 46-year-old Booth-Level Officer (BLO), Sarvesh Singh, an assistant teacher in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly died by suicide at his home, with police citing severe work pressure linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Singh’s death is part of a disturbing trend of suicides and unnatural deaths reported among BLOs across several states in recent weeks, attributed by their families to the heavy workloads and stress from senior officials to meet demanding targets.
Heartbreaking Last Video and Suicide Note
Hours before his death, Singh recorded a distressing video that has since gone viral. In the clip, he is seen crying uncontrollably, stating he was under deep distress and had not slept for the last 20 days due to the job pressure. He apologized to his mother and sister, pleading with them to take care of his four young daughters, and stating he was “going to take a drastic step.” A handwritten, two-page suicide note recovered at the scene further pointed to his inability to meet the SIR targets, stating that his nights had become “unbearable due to anxiety.”
Official Response and Political Fallout
The family members confirmed that Singh, who was on his first election-related duty, struggled with the continuous surveys and the digital process required for the SIR exercise. While local police and District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Singh acknowledged the death and promised every possible support to the family, the incident has fueled a political outcry, with some opposition members terming it a “state-sponsored murder.” Amidst the controversy, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the extension of the SIR schedule by a week, granting BLOs and voters more time to complete the revision process.
