Kolkata: A 47-year-old BLO and teacher, Manirul Islam Tarafdar, died after suspected cardiac arrest at Deganga in North 24 Parganas on Saturday night, with his family blaming SIR-related stress for his death, especially after 94 names from his booth were excluded in the supplementary list published on Friday.According to locals, after the supplementary list was published, several voters approached Tarafdar asking why their names were missing.Tarafdar’s family alleged that the sustained pressure took a toll on his health. “He was constantly worried. People kept asking why their names were dropped despite submitting documents. He could not eat or sleep properly,” said his wife Rajiya Sultana. Tarafdar is survived by his wife and two minor children. Tarafdar’s colleagues called the incident “extremely unfortunate”, alleging that the SIR had placed unprecedented pressure on BLOs. “He always tried to ensure no valid voter was excluded, but the situation this time was overwhelming,” said a colleague Azizur Rahman. Amulia panchayat pradhan Mohammad Imdadul Haque alleged that the exclusions were “unjustified” and had deeply affected Tarafdar.
