BAREILLY/BIJNOR: Sarvesh Singh, the Moradabad BLO, left behind a note in which he wrote about sleeplessness, confusion over targets and fear of losing his job. In Bijnor, Shobha Rani, who had completed just over a third of her assigned forms, collapsed after several days of illness and extended working hours, her family said. Officials denied any direct link between their deaths and the ongoing SIR workload.Sarvesh was posted as an assistant teacher at a primary school in Zahidpur, Bhagatpur Tanda. In his handwritten suicide note, Singh said, “Nights barely pass, and days bring no peace… I want to live, but what can I do? In this restlessness and suffocation, I feel scared within myself.”
His wife, Babli, said he had been sleeping only two to three hours a night for several days. “He struggled with understanding the digital process, especially form uploads and daily targets, and feared disciplinary action. He was continuously receiving messages from officials demanding updates and warning him of consequences if work was not completed.” Babli said her husband was also under mental strain due to the poor health of two of their daughters and the pressure of being the sole earner in the household.Also See:Kolkata BLO Protest
The family, which includes four minor daughters and his elderly mother, has refused a postmortem. They have demanded Rs 5 crore in compensation and a govt job for one family member. Moradabad DM Anuj Singh told TOI that Sarvesh’s performance had been satisfactory. “His work was exceptional and he had almost met his tasks. Since the SIR was announced, we had given training to the BLOs and we were going well. We are investigating why he took such an extreme step. We will provide them with a job, financial help and take care of all education expenses of the deceased employee.”In Bijnor’s Dhampur area, Shobha Rani, a 56-year-old BLO posted at Booth No. 97 in Barwan locality, died of a heart attack after falling unconscious on Saturday morning. Her son, Deepak Saini, said she had been assigned 1,003 forms and had completed 345. He said she had continued working despite her deteriorating condition, often staying up late to finish her targets. Her family said she was diabetic and had not been feeling well for several days but remained on duty because the workload had increased sharply after SIR began.She was first taken to a private hospital and then referred to Moradabad, where she died around 11.30am. Her husband, Kripal Saini, said preparations were underway for their only son’s wedding when she passed away. “She had already helped with our daughter’s wedding, and we were preparing for our son’s. Then this happened,” he said.Officials in Bijnor visited the family and offered condolences but maintained that her death was not caused by official pressure. A district programme officer said there was no stress from officials regarding the SIR work and that the family would be extended full support and departmental assistance.Five other BLOs have died while working on the SIR process in Uttar Pradesh. On Nov 25, Sudhir Kumar Kuril, 27, a lekhpal from Fatehpur, allegedly died by suicide a day before his wedding. His sister alleged he had been threatened with dismissal by officials if his targets were not met. Based on her complaint, a revenue inspector and another person were booked for abetment of suicide and under the SC/ST Act.On the same day, Vipin Yadav, 35, an assistant teacher posted in Jaitpur Majha, Gonda, reportedly consumed poison at his rented accommodation. A video recorded by his wife surfaced online in which Yadav said he was under pressure from officials. The district administration denied these allegations and attributed the death to domestic reasons.Three others died of medical emergencies while on SIR duty: Sarvesh Kumar Gangwar, 47, an assistant teacher in Bareilly, died of cardiac arrest on Nov 26; Vijay Kumar Verma, 40, a shiksha mitra in Lucknow, died of a brain haemorrhage on Nov 22; and Ranju Dubey, 44, a shiksha mitra in Deoria, died of a heart attack on Nov 25.The chief electoral office of Uttar Pradesh has not issued a response on the deaths despite multiple queries.
