Vadodara BLO assistant dies on duty amid rising SIR workload concerns; four deaths in four days across Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: A female BLO assistant collapsed and died on duty at a Vadodara school on Saturday, triggering sharp questions over mounting SIR workload pressure, especially as four BLO staffers have died in four days across Gujarat - two of them after sudden heart attacks and one by suicide. The incident in Gujarats Vadodara has intensified concerns over mounting SIR workload pressure as the BLO assistant, Ushaben Indrasinh Solanki, collapsed and died on duty at Pratap School in Kadak Bazaar. The incident unfolded in a matter of minutes, yet every detail connects to a larger pattern of exhaustion and unaddressed complaints. Police said Ushaben, who worked at Gorwa Mahila ITI, had been deployed for BLO duty despite poor health. Her husband, Indrasinh Solanki, revealed that the family had warned officials earlier. My wifes health was not good. We live in PW quarters in Subhanpura and she worked in Gorwa ITI. We had requested that she not be given this BLO duty, he said. But despite the appeal, she was sent on duty. As she waited for her supervisor during field work, Ushaben suddenly collapsed. Indrasinh recounted the final moments with painful clarity. She fainted all of a sudden, it seems she had an attack. We rushed her to Sayaji Hospital, but the doctor declared her dead, Indrasinh recounted. Another relative, Vikramsinh Suhadiya, strengthened the allegation of excessive burden. We came to know she was under pressure from work that was given to her apart from her ITI clerk duties, he said, indicating she had been pushed beyond her designated role. Collector Anil Dhameliya said, Since the beginning of this exercise, we have been working to reduce the workload on Booth Level Officers. He clarified, We are ensuring that BLOs are not required to work at night, and additional staff members are being involved in digitisation so that BLOs do not have to handle the entire process alone. He also said, We have communicated the concerns of BLOs to the Election Commission to ensure they are not subjected to any pressure. Our aim is to make the process more decentralised. Originally from Tilkawada in Narmada district, Ushaben lived in Vadodaras Subhanpura area. Her death has left her family and colleagues in shock. Police have sent the body for postmortem, with a heart attack suspected as the cause, though the final report is awaited. Her death comes amid three other BLO/SIR staff deaths reported in the past four days across Gujarat. In Kodinar, Arvindbhai Vadher died by suicide , reportedly due to work pressure. In Tapi, Kalpanaben Patel, who was on BLO duty, died of a heart attack. A BLO in Kheda also collapsed and died during duty earlier this week.