‘Pressure was too much’: 10 booth officers die in a week

BOOTH LEVEL OFFICERS’ REPORT

- BY STEPHEN N. R.

As India undertakes one of its biggest voter roll revisions in years, the hidden human cost of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is becoming heartbreakingly clear.

A growing number of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) — teachers, clerks, frontline staff — are collapsing under impossible workloads, long hours, and overwhelming mental stress.

The latest tragedy comes from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, where 46-year-old assistant teacher Sarvesh Kumar, assigned BLO duty for the first time, died at his home early Sunday. Hours later, a video believed to be his final message surfaced — a raw, painful glimpse into the emotional collapse of a man pushed beyond his limits, according to Indian media reports.

‘Unable to sleep for 20 days’