A Booth Level Officer (BLO) died in a road accident while returning home after completing work related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district on Thursday.
Lalit Adhikari, a resident of Sitalkuchi block, was returning home after completing SIR work for the day when a vehicle hit him, leaving him critically injured. Locals rushed him to a local hospital and he was then referred to a private medical facility, where he died of his injuries.
Adhikari was a primary school teacher and he and two others from the Mahish Muri Primary School were given BLO responsibilities. On Thursday, Adhikari had gone out to complete SIR-related work after school hours.
The teacher's wife, Shyamali Adhikari, said he was the sole breadwinner of the family. "Our two sons and I are now helpless," she said.
North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha visited Adhikari's residence on Friday, met his family members, and gave them a cheque of Rs 2 lakh. Guha said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was deeply saddened by the news of Adhikari's death and instructed that the financial assistance be provided immediately.
Trinamool spokesperson Partha Pratim Roy said the teacher was very stressed, had to travel frequently, and that is when the road accident occurred. "We are shocked by this tragic death of a BLO on duty," he added.
Adhikari's family requested Guha that a job be given to his son and the minister assured them that the state government would consider the matter compassionately.
