SIR: lady officer commits suicide

The SIR or Special Intensive Revision has begun this year with a view to check any kind of fraud or deceit in voter list. Enumeration Forms were distributed at doorsteps with special instructions to visit the SIR kiosk or office. It started this November and will continue till December 4. Initially the issue with reference to the elections in neighbouring Bihar to ensure free and fair elections across length and breadth of Bihar. Next we heard the same being applied in our state too. Initially there were confusion about 2002 voter list, some found their names while others didn't. 

Now, all these are procedures that need to be followed. But suddenly the death of Rinku Tarafdar changed the whole scenario. Lady officers who are BLOs (Block Level Officer) were under pressure. The task was tough and Rinku Tarafdar's confession proved the case. Fifty four year old Rinku Tarafdar committed suicide when she failed to meet deadline in Special Intensive Revision of electoral roles in West Bengal. Rinku has left behind a two-page suicide note where she has said that she took such drastic step because it was 'inhuman" workload. Besides her Nadia constituency, Rinku, a mother, who photo flashed in news headlines, was entrusted the work of Chapra constituency where the BLO was absent in consecutive days.