'If 33 BLOs die, is that OK?' Kapil Sibal slams SIR over Booth-Level Officer deaths

New Delhi: Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday raised sharp questions over the deaths of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging disproportionate outrage over infiltration claims while official workers were allegedly dying under pressure. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sibal wrote, "SIR. Yet another suicide by a Bengal BLO. Total pan-India - 33. If one alleged 'ghuspetia' (infiltrator). That's not OK. If 33 BLO's die. Is that Ok?" Sibal's post comes amid escalating political controversy in West Bengal, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier accused the BJP-led Centre of using the SIR process to destabilise opposition-ruled states. Banerjee has claimed that at least 40 people have died due to stress and pressure linked to the exercise. Announcing relief, she said the state would provide an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to those hospitalised.

Earlier on Sunday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had alleged that another Booth Level Officer (BLO) appointed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) had died by suicide due to "inhuman pressure" linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. In a post on X, Banerjee claimed that Haradhan Mondal, a BLO from 249 Ranibandh Assembly Constituency, Part No. 206, took his own life and held the nature of the task assigned to him responsible in a suicide note. On Saturday, a five-member delegation of the Trinamool Congress Party met the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal. In a post on X, TMC said, "The delegation made it clear that such tactics corrode public trust and shred the credibility of the electoral process in Bengal. We demanded that CEO-WB enforce statutory procedure without fear or favour and shield every eligible citizen from wrongful, engineered exclusion" "We stand guard over Bengal's democratic rights. No force, no conspiracy, no BJP-ECI machinery will be allowed to erase the people's voice or their vote," the post added. Meanwhile, the ECI had completed the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls as part of preparations for the next West Bengal Assembly elections, expected to be held in March-April 2026.