BLO Dies of Heart Attack Amid SIR Stress in Cooch Behar

MP, 4 Jan 2026, KOLKATA: A Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district died of a heart attack, allegedly due to intense mental stress linked to duties under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. The deceased, Ashis Dhar, was assigned to Booth No. 103 in the Ichhamari Baneshwar area and was scheduled to attend an SIR-related hearing on Saturday.

According to family members, Dhar had been under severe pressure since Friday night, worrying continuously about the hearing process and the workload associated with the voter list revision. He appeared visibly anxious and repeatedly spoke about completing the task without errors. Late at night, he suddenly fell ill at home and collapsed. He was rushed for medical help but was declared dead due to cardiac arrest. Relatives claimed the stress of the SIR exercise had deeply affected his health.

Dhar was the only son in the family, and his death has left his parents devastated and uncertain about their future. Following the incident, local Trinamool Congress leaders visited the bereaved family to express condolences.