A primary school teacher in West Bengal died on Friday night, with his family alleging that excessive work pressure and mental stress related to his engagement as a booth-level officer (BLO) for the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll led to his death.

The deceased has been identified as Ashis Dhar (53), a resident of Ichhamari village under Baneshwar panchayat in the Cooch Behar 2 block. He was serving as the BLO of booth number 103 at the time of his death.

Teacher and BLO responsibilities

Dhar worked as an assistant teacher at the Purba Gopalpur Fourth Plan Primary School in Baneshwar. In addition to his teaching duties, he had been assigned responsibilities connected with the ongoing special intensive revision of the electoral roll, which his family said involved long hours and sustained pressure.

He is survived by his wife Iti, a 21-year-old daughter, and a 20-year-old son.

According to family members, Dhar suddenly fell ill on Friday night and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Family recalls last moments

Recounting the events leading up to his death, Iti said Dhar had received a phone call late on Friday regarding a hearing scheduled for the following day in connection with his BLO duties.

“After the call, he suddenly started sweating heavily and kept saying that he couldn’t take it anymore. Within a short time, everything was over,” she said, struggling to hold back tears.

The family believes the call and the anticipation of official proceedings added to the stress he had already been under for several days.

Allegations of excessive pressure

Dhar’s younger brother, Dilip, alleged that the workload and constant pressure associated with electoral duties took a severe toll on his health.

“He was working day and night. This constant pressure led to my brother’s death,” Dilip said, adding that the family wants authorities to take note of the strain placed on teachers and other government staff assigned election-related responsibilities.

Calls for review of workload

The incident has triggered quiet concern among teachers and local residents, many of whom say that educators are often burdened with additional administrative duties alongside their regular teaching work.

While no official statement has yet been issued regarding the cause of death, the family has urged the administration to consider the mental and physical stress faced by grassroots-level staff during large-scale exercises such as electoral roll revisions