Another Booth Level Officer (BLO) deployed on SIR duty has died in Hathras.
On Tuesday morning, BLO Kamalkant Sharma suffered a heart attack. He reportedly collapsed at home after feeling dizzy. Family members rushed him toward Aligarh for treatment, but he died on the way.
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Soon after receiving the news, District Magistrate Atul Vats visited the bereaved family. Kamalkant’s wife, Neelam Sharma, alleged that her husband was under immense pressure, receiving frequent calls from officials.
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“There was too much workload. He was very tense. We kept telling him not to worry so much. If it gets too hard, leave the job,” she said.
Across Uttar Pradesh, a total of nine BLOs have died during the ongoing SIR duty—three by suicide, four due to heart attacks, and one due to brain hemorrhage. In another incident, Arvind Kumar (40), an assistant BLO posted in Sambhal, died in his sleep while on SIR duty.
DM Atul Vats stated that the district administration stands with the family like “one unit.” All officials and staff will donate one day’s salary, which will be deposited as a fixed deposit for the deceased officer’s children. He added that Kamalkant’s wife, who has completed intermediate education, will be assisted in securing employment.
According to the DM, there was no undue pressure of work, and preliminary information suggests the death occurred due to sudden illness. Further clarity will come from the post-mortem report.
Meanwhile, in Gonda, two women BLOs, Aarti Devi and Neelam Mishra, were honoured for completing their SIR assignments ahead of schedule. Both carried out their duties while caring for their two-month-old infants. Aarti, a shiksha mitra posted at the Budhadevar village primary school booth, said she completed her assignment in 12–13 days.
Her booth had 781 registered voters. She spent two days distributing forms door-to-door, followed by organising camps to help residents fill them out.
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