At least 40 booth-level officers (BLOs) from Sitai block in Cooch Behar resigned on Sunday in a development similar to the mass resignation of BLOs in Dinhata block-2 of the district on Friday.

The Sitai resignations, coupled with a separate incident in which a living woman was allegedly marked "deceased" in the draft voter list, have raised serious questions on the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

Under the banner of the BLO Protection Committee, 40 BLOs from a total of 99 booths in Sitai block submitted their resignation letters simultaneously. The protesting officers alleged that several primary school teachers had been burdened with BLO duties during school hours, severely affecting the education system.

The BLOs also alleged that SIR hearing notices were being issued unnecessarily to ordinary voters in the name of “logical discrepancy”, creating confusion and anxiety among the electorate.

Jagadish Chandra Barman, the BLO of booth 51 in ward 6 of the Sitai Assembly constituency, said: “This situation is creating confusion and panic among voters, and the blame is ultimately falling on field-level workers like us."

"Orders are being sent through WhatsApp without written instructions, impossible deadlines are being imposed, and there is constant mental pressure. Under such circumstances, it has become virtually impossible to work. Therefore, we staged a protest and collectively decided to submit our mass resignations,” he said.

Members of the committee alleged political bias on the part of the Election Commission, claiming that BLOs were being subjected to "intense pressure". The resignation letters were forwarded to the additional electoral registration officer (ERO), block development officer (BDO) of Sitai, Amit Kumar Mandal.

Amid the turmoil, Trinamool Congress MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia of Cooch Behar arrived at the Sitai BDO’s office on Sunday with a woman who had been marked as "deceased" in the draft voter list published last month.

The woman, Zohra Bibi, a voter from booth 6/29 of Brahmattar Chatra gram panchayat, said she is a migrant worker who lost her voter ID card some six months ago.

"The person declared dead is standing here and identifying herself. If this is not a ghost story, what is?” MP Basunia told the media, adding the Election Commission should take note.

"I am alive, so why am I being shown as dead?” Zohra said. “I fear I may lose my right to vote.”

She said she had applied for a new voter identity card and was ready with all papers.

Despite the two incidents, no official response had been received from the Cooch Behar administration or the EC till the report was filed.