Only death will free me from SIR: BLO commits suicide in UP after leave denied for daughter’s wedding

A 50-year-old booth level officer (BLO) deployed on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) duty allegedly died by suicide inside a government primary school in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district, highlighting the mounting pressure on frontline election staff and renewed concerns over crushing workload under the SIR exercise .

The deceased, Akhilesh Savita, was found hanging inside a primary school at Aliyabad village on Saturday evening. Police recovered a suicide note in which he reportedly wrote, “only death will free me from SIR,” citing severe stress due to continuous official assignments and repeated denial of leave for his daughter’s wedding, scheduled for March 8. He said he was “tired of work” and unable to complete wedding preparations because of relentless duty.

Family members rushed him to the Community Health Centre in Bindki, where doctors declared him dead. The incident triggered protests at the hospital, with relatives and villagers accusing the administration of ignoring repeated pleas for temporary relief. Tension escalated when authorities attempted to take custody of the body, prompting agitated family members to take it back to the village. Police later pacified them and the body was sent for postmortem examination.

Savita’s death has intensified focus on the nationwide SIR drive and its human cost , particularly in West Bengal, where the state government has acknowledged that 56 people have died and five were incapacitated during SIR , including 18 booth level officers . Multiple suicides and fatal medical emergencies linked to SIR pressure have also been reported from Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.

Families of deceased workers have consistently cited 12 to 14-hour workdays, night-long data entry, and fear of disciplinary action as key stressors. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has termed the exercise “inhuman,” while the Supreme Court has warned that unchecked pressure on BLOs could lead to serious consequences.

Additional District Magistrate Avinash Tripathi said the suicide note is being examined and further action will depend on postmortem findings. Police have launched a probe to ascertain the exact circumstances leading to the incident.