'If I Had More Time...': UP Poll Official's (BLO) Last Video Before Suicide

A day after a 46-year-old teacher working as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) was found dead at his home in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad, a video of what could be his last message to his family has emerged. In the video, Sarvesh Kumar said he had failed to complete work for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists and sought the forgiveness of his family for "going far from their world". He also asked his mother and sister to take care of his four daughters.

An assistant teacher at a government-run school, Kumar was assigned a BLO's work on October 7. This was the first time he was assigned the work of a BLO, a grassroots poll official who goes door-to-door to collect voters' details and documents. Early on Sunday, Sarvesh's wife, Babli, found him dead at home. A note said he was unable to deal with work stress due to BLO duty. 

'मां, मैं जीना चाहता हूं, लेकिन...'

यूपी के मुरादाबाद जिले में SIR वर्क प्रेशर में जान देने वाले BLO सर्वेश सिंह का अपने आखिरी वीडियो में यह कहते हुए फूट-फूट कर रोते नजर आ रहे हैं. 30 नवंबर को BLO सर्वेश सिंह ने फंदे से लटककर अपनी जान दी थी. शिक्षक सर्वेश सिंह ने 3 पेज के… pic.twitter.com/LOPrQgtxyS

— NDTV India (@ndtvindia) November 30, 2025

"Didi, forgive me, Mummy, please look after my children. I failed in this election work. I am going to take a step, and only I am responsible. No one has any fault. I am very upset. I have not been able to sleep for 20 days. If I had time, I would have finished this work. I have four little daughters. Please forgive me. I am going far away from your world," Kumar says in the video while fighting back tears. He also said he wanted to live, but the pressure was "too much".

READ: Long Hours, Little Pay, Extreme Pressure: What It Means To Be A Booth Officer (BLO)

Kumar's death comes amid a nationwide uproar over BLOs' working conditions as the Election Commission conducts SIR in several states to weed out discrepancies in voter lists. Several BLOs have died after they started working for SIR, and their families have blamed work stress. NDTV spoke to some BLOs: they highlighted that they have to work 14-15 hours daily, and the pay is very low. Added to this was the fear of disciplinary action if they could not finish the work within the deadline.

Sarvesh Kumar is from the Dalit community, and his family stays at Bahedi village in Moradabad's Bhojpur. His family members have demanded strict action against top officials who pushed him to the edge.