West Bengal: BLO goes missing days before voter list hearing in East Burdwan
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Kolkata: A Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal’s East Burdwan district has been reported missing just 48 hours before the scheduled start of the hearing process for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The disappearance has triggered alarm in the local administration given the timing of the incident.
Police identified the missing official as Amit Kumar Mondal, a resident of the Bikihat area under Khajurdihi Panchayat in the Katwa I block. Mondal, a teacher by profession at Uddharanpur Primary School in Ketugram, serves as the BLO for Booth No. 23 of the Katwa Assembly constituency.
According to family members, Mondal has been untraceable since Tuesday morning. He reportedly returned from the market around 10 a.m., parked his motorbike, and left the house on foot, telling his family he had to attend a BLO meeting. He did not return.
Upon searching his room, the family discovered his mobile phone, BLO identity card, and critical SIR-related enumeration documents left behind. After failing to locate him at relatives' homes, the family filed a missing person report at the Katwa police station on Tuesday night.
"Based on the missing person diary lodged by the family, a search has started to trace the BLO. So far, he has not been found," a senior officer from the East Burdwan district police confirmed.
The timing of Mondal's disappearance presents a logistical challenge for the election authorities. His booth has 641 registered voters, and he had already distributed notices to 33 individuals for upcoming hearings. These hearings, mandatory for verifying voter eligibility, are set to begin in two days, and the BLO’s presence is required.
Family members told authorities that Mondal appeared to be under pressure since assuming his election duties, though the exact cause remains unclear. Sources indicate that if Mondal is not located promptly, the district administration will appoint a replacement to ensure the SIR process continues without disruption. Katwa Sub-Divisional Officer Anirban Basu has not yet issued an official statement on the matter.
(Inputs from IANS)