Meerut BLO attempts suicide; family, colleagues blame SIR workload and harassment

A BLO (booth-level officer) deployed for the ongoing SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls in Meerut allegedly attempted suicide after consuming poison on Tuesday night, with his family and colleagues blaming severe workload pressure and harassment by a supervisor.

The officer, Mohit Chaudhary (35), a resident of Murlipura village under Mundali police station limits, works as a senior assistant in the Irrigation Department and was simultaneously handling BLO-ICD duties in Pallavpuram. He was first taken to a private hospital on Garh Road and later shifted to Lokpriya Hospital in serious condition.

Family members said Chaudhary had been “mentally distressed for several days” due to dual responsibilities and long working hours. They alleged that tehsil-level supervisor Ashish Sharma repeatedly pressured him regarding form submissions and threatened both suspension and an FIR.

According to the family, Chaudhary consumed pesticide upon reaching home late on Tuesday. His wife, Jyoti, said he would leave early each morning, return late at night, barely eat, and had been visibly anxious for days.

Soon after the news broke, union representatives and fellow BLOs gathered at the hospital and staged a protest, accusing the supervisor of harassment and claiming that BLOs were bearing the maximum burden of the SIR exercise but were still being subjected to intimidation by officials. Union leaders warned of further agitation if action was not taken.

Senior district officials, including Additional City Magistrate Deepak Kathuria, Naib Tehsildar Aadesh Singh, and police personnel, reached the hospital and urged the protestors to maintain calm. They also met Chaudhary’s family and assured a fair and comprehensive inquiry.

District Election Officer and DM V. K. Singh told PTI on Wednesday morning that Chaudhary was now stable. He cautioned against drawing premature conclusions regarding the SIR workload being the sole trigger.

“The reason behind the act will be clear after the inquiry. Since the SIR drive is underway, people tend to link everything to it, but domestic or other issues could also be involved,” he said.

The DM also noted that preliminary findings suggested Chaudhary had already completed over 70 per cent of his assigned SIR duties, indicating that “workload pressure did not appear evident” at first glance.

An official inquiry is underway to determine the exact circumstances behind the suicide attempt.