BLO Dies During Voter List Revision Duty in Damoh; Work Pressure Cited as Contributing Factor

Damoh, Madhya Pradesh: A tragic incident occurred in Damoh during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral voter list. BLO (Booth Level Officer) Sitaram Gaud suffered a sudden health deterioration while on duty and passed away during treatment. Officials noted that Gaud had been under immense work pressure, with only 13% of his assigned tasks completed at the time.

Incident Details

Sitaram Gaud, 50, a teacher and BLO from Ranjra village in Damoh constituency, originally from Pathari Bandakpur, fell ill while filling counting forms on Thursday evening. He was first admitted to Damoh District Hospital, but due to the severity of his condition, he was referred to Jabalpur. He succumbed to his illness during treatment on Friday in Jabalpur. His body was later brought to his ancestral village Pathari Damoh, where his last rites were performed on Saturday.

Work Pressure and Duty

According to District Education Officer S.K. Nema, Gaud was responsible for 1,319 voters across Ranjra and Kuda Kudan villages. With only 13% of the work completed, he reportedly felt extreme pressure. This workload, combined with the stress of voter list revision duties, is believed to have contributed to his untimely death.

Previous Incidents in Damoh

This is not the first such incident in Damoh. Earlier, Shyam Sundar Sharma, a teacher and BLO stationed at Simaria School in the Tendukheda area of Jabera constituency, also died under similar circumstances. His family had alleged that the stress of SIR duties, along with threats of suspension, contributed to his death.

Authorities have expressed condolences and are reviewing workload management for BLOs to prevent similar tragedies in the future.