SIR drive: Tamil Nadu BLO dies by suicide; family blames officials, DMK
Jahida Begum takes the extreme step, allegedly due to intense SIR work pressure, and harassment by officals and the ruling party
A 38-year-old village administrative assistant (Village Assistant) in Sivanarthangal village near Tirukoilur in Kallakurichi district took her life on Wednesday (November 19) evening, with her family and colleagues alleging intense work pressure from the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls as the primary cause.
The incident has sparked outrage and comes just days after a statewide strike by revenue department employees protesting similar burdens.
Meanwhile, Gujarat reported the death of two BLOs in the last 48 hours. You may read the report here.
The deceased has been identified as Jahida Begum, a Booth Level Officer (BLO) responsible for door-to-door verification and form distribution for the SIR exercise.
Did you read our Ground Report from Kerala? A day in the life of a BLO
According to police, Jahida Begum took her life at her home when no one was present. Tirukoilur police recovered the body and sent it for a postmortem at Kallakurichi Government Medical College Hospital. A case has been registered under "suicide due to mental distress," and an investigation is underway.
SIR workload
Jahida Begum's husband told reporters that she was under severe stress due to SIR-related workload. "Yesterday, I dropped her off with the SIR forms. She managed to complete and submit 30 forms, but faced issues uploading 60 forms due to poor internet connectivity. Even after trying at a net centre, it didn't succeed. She uploaded just seven from home before asking me to step out to the shop. Within half an hour, I got the news of her suicide," he said, breaking down in tears.
He directly accused "higher officials and central authorities" of exerting excessive pressure, adding, "My wife is gone because of this. Who will help me raise our two children now?"
Also Read: Rajasthan BLO, 34, dies mins after call from tehsildar; family alleges work pressure
Family sources claimed that Begum had collected only around 90 forms in her village, far below expectations, which allegedly led to scolding and threats from local DMK functionaries and officials. She reportedly confided in a colleague about being harassed and reprimanded over the phone.
Colleagues echoed these sentiments, describing daily interference from political party workers as a major challenge. "Party cadres keep pressuring us – do this, do that. We don't know how to escape this," said one female employee.
SIR in Tamil Nadu
The SIR of voter lists, launched on November 4 across 12 states and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, aims to update electoral rolls ahead of future elections. In Tamil Nadu, BLOs – mostly village assistants and revenue staff – have been tasked with distributing and collecting forms house-to-house, with a deadline of December 4.
Revenue department associations had staged protests and a one-day boycott earlier this week, citing "unbearable workload," technical issues with data uploads, poor internet in rural areas, and alleged harassment.
The boycott was temporarily called off after talks with officials, but Begum's suicide has reignited concerns. Similar incidents have been reported in other SIR states as well.
Opposition parties stage a protest
Opposition AIADMK workers held a condemnation protest in Kallakurichi on November 21, accusing the ruling DMK of misusing power to pressure BLOs into irregularities during the revision process. When contacted, Kallakurichi District Collector M.S. Prashanth declined to comment, stating: "The case is under investigation by the IO. The matter is still under probe, hence cannot comment."
Police continue to probe whether a suicide note was left or if specific individuals exerted undue pressure.
Also Read: TN govt officials boycott SIR duties, announce ‘work stoppage protest’
Government employees staged a protest in front of the Tirukovilur Taluk Office, demanding justice for Begum. Holding placards and raising slogans, the agitators condemned the alleged harassment by officials and ruling party functionaries.
They urged the government to immediately reduce the workload, extend deadlines, and ensure no political interference in the ongoing voter list revision exercise.
(Suicides can be prevented. For help, please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)