BLO on SIR duty dies of haemorrhage, another attempts suicide; toll now 10 in UP

MEERUT/BAREILLY: Uttar Pradesh's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive took another grim turn this week, with a BLO dying of brain haemorrhage in Bareilly, another attempting suicide in Meerut, and a primary school teacher in Bulandshahr threatening to take her life over what she described as unbearable pressure linked to the SIR work. With these cases, the number of BLO deaths across UP in the past 12 days has risen to 10, including three suicides.

In Bareilly, MB Inter College spokesperson and BLO Ajay Agarwal, 51, died late Monday night after returning home from SIR duty. His family alleged that he had been under "intense stress since being assigned the data-feeding work" on Nov 24 and was struggling to complete it on a basic mobile phone.


His son, Prakhar, said, "He told officials he didn't even know how to operate an Android phone, so uploading data would be difficult for him. But no one listened. They scolded him whenever he struggled. He kept saying he was overburdened and couldn't handle it." Ajay is survived by his ailing wife and son. Bareilly district magistrate (DM) Avinash Singh was unavailable for comment.

In Meerut, an irrigation department clerk and BLO Mohit Kumar (in his mid 30s) attempted suicide by consuming poison on Tuesday night. His wife alleged that "unrelenting pressure from senior officials" pushed him to the brink. "I just want no one else to be pressured the way my husband was. Please, with folded hands, I request everyone: at least train them properly before sending them. Saying they were trained is a lie — no real training was ever given," said Jyoti Devi.

However, Meerut DM VK Singh refuted the allegations and said, "BLO Mohit Kumar's work was satisfactory. Why he consumed pesticides is a matter of investigation. He is out of danger and receiving the best treatment."

Meanwhile, in Bulandshahr, primary school teacher Rajni issued a written suicide threat on WhatsApp, saying she could no longer bear the "workload and harassment" tied to her BLO duty. "I already completed more than 50% of the allotted task, yet officials keep changing their instructions. First, they asked me to distribute all the forms; then, they hurriedly demanded them back and pressured me to upload the data online," she wrote in the message.

These incidents come against the backdrop of multiple deaths reported during SIR duty in recent days. A govt teacher, 45, in Hathras collapsed and died on Tuesday morning while preparing to leave for BLO duty; his wife blamed work-related stress. In Sambhal, headmaster Arvind Kumar, 40, also died while on duty, with his family alleging severe pressure.

In Moradabad, assistant teacher Sarvesh Singh, 40, died by suicide, leaving a note citing stress from digital uploads, lack of sleep and fear of suspension. In Fatehpur, lekhpal Sudhir Kumar Kuril, 27, died by suicide a day before his wedding after allegedly being threatened with dismissal. In Gonda, assistant teacher Vipin Yadav, 35, consumed poison, with his wife recording a video claiming he was being harassed.

Four more — Shobha Rani, 56, from Bijnor; Sarvesh Kumar Gangwar, 47, from Bareilly; Vijay Kumar Verma, 40, from Lucknow; and Ranju Dubey, 44, from Deoria — died of medical causes while on duty, according to their families.

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