Female BLO dies of heart attack in Sagar:Son claims extreme workload of SIR caused stress; alleges work continued till midnight

A female Booth Level Officer (BLO) from Sagar, Lakshmi Jarolia, died during treatment after suffering a heart attack. Her family claims that heavy workload and mental pressure during the SIR survey led to her health deteriorating. Lakshmi was the sole earner in her family. With her death, the number of BLOs who have died during SIR duties in Madhya Pradesh has crossed seven. BLO dies after heart attack Lakshmi Jarolia worked as a Government Primary Teacher in Niwari. She had also been serving as a BLO for four to five years. Around ten days ago, she suffered a heart attack. She was admitted to private hospitals in Sagar and later in Bhopal. She passed away on Sunday during treatment. Family alleges work pressure Her son, Devanshu Jarolia, said his mother was under severe mental stress during the SIR survey. Her mobile phone was not working properly, causing issues with technical tasks. Despite this, she was asked to fill forms, prepare reports, and send information from morning until midnight. Her family says the stress caused her health to worsen. Doctors at Sagar Hospital confirmed a heart-related problem when she was brought in. See photos – Lakshmi was the sole earner Lakshmi was the only earning member in her family. Her husband had already died. She leaves behind two daughters and one son. Her elder daughter and son are married. Seven BLO deaths reported earlier More than seven BLOs involved in SIR duties in Madhya Pradesh have already lost their lives. Previous deaths Case 1: Heart attack in Shahdol BLO Maniram Napit (54) died of a heart attack in Sohagpur, Shahdol. He was filling voter forms in Pateria village when he received a call from an officer. Soon after the call, he felt unwell and informed his son. He died before reaching the medical college. Case 2: Hit by Train in Narmadapuram Assistant Teacher Sujan Singh Raghuvanshi died after being hit by a train while returning from an SIR survey in Pipariya. His legs were severely injured. He was taken to Bansal Hospital in Bhopal, where he died during treatment. He was posted at Girls School Pipariya. Case 3: Heart attack during online meeting On 20 November, BLO Ramakant Pandey died of a heart attack in Mandideep. He was attending an online meeting at night. Ten minutes after the meeting ended, he collapsed in the washroom.He was taken to Noble Hospital and then to AIIMS Bhopal, but died during treatment. He was a teacher at Tilakhedi Primary School. Case 4: Suspension stress in Jhabua Teacher Bhuwan Singh Chauhan, who was working as a BLO, died of a heart attack in Jhabua. He had been suspended on 18 November for alleged negligence. The post-mortem confirmed cardiac arrest. His family claims he died due to stress caused by the suspension. Case 5: Death during treatment in Damoh BLO Sitaram Gond from Damoh fell ill and was admitted to the district hospital. He died during treatment in Jabalpur. Case 6: Health collapse in Balaghat Anita Nageshwar (50), a BLO and Anganwadi worker from Balaghat, died in Nagpur. She had been admitted in Gondia on 13 November after falling ill. Her daughter alleges that work pressure caused her condition to worsen. Case 7: Heart attack in Sidhi Veena Mishra (55), an Anganwadi worker from Rewa, died while doing SIR work in Rampur Naikin, Sidhi. She had suffered a heart attack three days earlier. Her family says officials pressured her to continue working instead of granting leave. She collapsed after severe chest pain and died on the spot.