The sudden collapse and death of a female Booth Level Officer (BLO) assistant at a school in Vadodara, Gujarat, on Saturday has sparked sharp criticism regarding the mounting workload pressure on staff. This tragedy is the fourth death involving BLO or Systematic Institutional Response (SIR) personnel reported across Gujarat in just four days, including two sudden fatal heart attacks and one death by suicide.
The incident has brought the issue of excessive SIR workload to the forefront. Ushaben Indrasinh Solanki, who was deployed as a BLO assistant, died after collapsing at Pratap School in Kadak Bazaar. The event was swift, but it is being viewed as part of a wider pattern of exhaustion and officials failing to address repeated staff complaints.
Police have confirmed that Ushaben, an employee of Gorwa Mahila ITI, had been assigned the BLO duty despite having poor health. Her husband, Indrasinh Solanki, revealed that the family had previously cautioned officials about her condition.
“My wife’s health was not good. We live in PW quarters in Subhanpura and she worked in Gorwa ITI. We had asked that she should not be assigned this BLO duty,” he stated. Despite their plea, she was sent to carry out the duties.
Ushaben suddenly collapsed while waiting for her supervisor during fieldwork.
Indrasinh described the distressing final moments. “She fainted all of a sudden; it appears she had an attack. We rushed her to Sayaji Hospital, but the doctor pronounced her dead,” Indrasinh recounted.
Another relative, Vikramsinh Suhadiya, reinforced the accusation of excessive demands. “We understood she was under pressure from work that was given to her in addition to her ITI clerk duties,” he said, suggesting she had been forced to take on responsibilities beyond her official remit.
In response, Collector Anil Dhameliya commented, “Since the beginning of this exercise, we have been endeavouring to reduce the workload on Booth Level Officers.”
He clarified their actions: “We are ensuring that BLOs are not required to work late into the night, and we are bringing in extra staff members for digitisation so that BLOs do not have to manage the entire process alone.”
He further added, “We have conveyed the concerns of BLOs to the Election Commission to ensure they are not subjected to undue pressure. Our goal is to make the process more decentralised.”
Ushaben, originally from Tilkawada in Narmada district, resided in Vadodara’s Subhanpura area. Her death has deeply shocked her family and colleagues. Police have sent her body for a post-mortem examination, with a heart attack currently suspected as the cause, though the final report is pending.
Her death follows three other reported fatalities among BLO/SIR staff in Gujarat over the last four days. In Kodinar, Arvindbhai Vadher is reported to have died by suicide due to work pressure. In Tapi, Kalpanaben Patel, who was on BLO duty, suffered a fatal heart attack. Separately, a BLO in Kheda also collapsed and died while on duty earlier this week.
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