BLO dies; kin blame SIR workload

Midnapore: The death of a 58-year-old booth level officer (BLO) in West Midnapore on Thursday sparked a political row, with his family alleging SIR work pressure caused his demise. Subimal Karak of Hatimari, a teacher at Sabli Primary School and the BLO for Hatimari booth, fell ill on Thursday morning and died shortly after. His kin claimed Karak was reluctant to accept the assignment due to his age but was forced into it. His daughter, Suchandrima, said he worked day and night despite a heart condition.

Local MLA Sujoy Hazra visited the family and blamed the Election Commission for the death. However, Arup Das, BJP spokesperson for the Midnapore organisational district, called the death unfortunate but accused Trinamool of using the incident to target the EC.