E-Paper
SIR in Gujarat: BLO dies of heart attack; Opposition cites stress from work, cops deny
A school teacher in Gujarat's Mehsana district died of a heart attack while serving as a Booth Level Officer for electoral rolls.
A school teacher working as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Gujarat's Mehsana district died of a heart attack during the early hours of Friday, a police official said. While the opposition Congress and teachers' union linked the BLO's death to excessive work pressure and lack of facilities, police denied the allegations.
ALSO READ | Ghaziabad: 21 BLOs booked by admin for laxity in SIR duties
"Dinesh Raval (50), a resident of Sudasana village, died of a heart attack in his home in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. He was a teacher in a government primary school in the village and was recently made BLO for carrying out SIR," Satlasana police station sub inspector Udaysinh Zala said.
"He was rushed to a government hospital in Vadnagar after his health deteriorated at his home. The post mortem report put the cause of death as heart attack. Neither his family nor his colleagues have made any allegations against anyone so far," Zala added.
ALSO READ | ‘No time to rest’: Overworked Bengal village poll staffer juggles life, SIR as clock ticks
Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi, however, alleged BLOs are under immense pressure to finish the assigned work in time. President of Gujarat State Primary Teacher Association, Digvijaysinh Jadeja, said he came to know from other teachers that Raval was under pressure due to BLO related work.
"I urge the government to find an alternative because teachers who are deployed as BLOs are under immense pressure. They have to work as teachers and also as BLOs the whole year. Some are working overnight to finish the task," said Jadeja.
ALSO READ | SIR picks up pace, but drive takes a mental toll on BLOs in Noida, Greater Noida
On November 20, Rameshbhai Parmar, a school teacher working as a Block Level Officer (BLO) in Gujarat's Kheda district, died of a heart attack, with his family attributing his death to "excessive work pressure" linked to the ongoing SIR. On the next day, Arvind Vadher, a school teacher deployed to work as BLO allegedly ended his life in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district. His family claimed he left a note citing "mental stress and exhaustion" from SIR work. SIR is currently underway in 12 states and Union territories.
