AGRA: A 45-year-old govt teacher assigned as a booth-level officer (BLO) for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls collapsed and died while preparing to leave for duty in Hathras district on Tuesday morning. His family has alleged that work-related stress caused the fatal collapse. His wife alleged that work-related stress led to the fatal collapse. The toll during SIR duty in Uttar Pradesh has now risen to nine in the past 11 days, including three suicides. Despite the rising toll, the chief electoral office of UP has not issued any formal response.Kamal Kant was an assistant teacher at a govt primary school in Nawali Lalpur under Sikandrao police station limits. He lost consciousness before leaving home and was declared dead at a hospital. His wife, Neelam Sharma, who was at her parents’ home, said, “My husband on the phone said to me that they are giving me tension and bothering me. I told him not to take tension.” DM Atu Vats and SP Chiranjeeb Nath Sinha visited the family. Vats said the body had been sent for post-mortem and the cause of death would be confirmed only after the report. “We received information at around 11am that a BLO, who was unwell, died on the way to the hospital. The entire team reached here. It appears that he had a previous medical condition.”Officials said Kant’s SIR performance was satisfactory and that he had already achieved over 50% of his assigned target. He had reportedly taken medication for low blood pressure earlier that morning before collapsing. The administration has announced a one-day salary contribution from officials and said efforts will be made to secure a contractual job for the wife.“Any govt employee or personnel is part of one large administrative family. It becomes our responsibility to stand with the family. We have decided to contribute one day’s salary. The contribution will be deposited into fixed deposits in the names of his four children. We will ensure the education of his three school-going children continues without disruption,” Vats said.He added that the wife, an intermediate pass, would be offered a job under compassionate appointment rules.
