AHMEDABAD: A 26-year-old BLO and Surat Municipal Corporation technical assistant, Dinkal Shingodawala, was found unconscious in her bathroom and later declared dead at a private hospital.
With a gas geyser inside the bathroom, police officials indicated the possibility of gas inhalation or suffocation as the cause of death.
However, BLO workload-related deaths statewide spark concerns.
Dinkal, who lived with her family in Olpad taluka, was serving as a technical assistant in Surat Municipal Corporation’s Varachha zone while also managing the additional responsibility of Booth Level Officer (BLO) for the ongoing SIR exercise.
Frantic attempts were made to save her after she collapsed in her bathroom. Her family rushed her to a private hospital in Surat, but despite immediate treatment, the young officer succumbed within minutes, raising chilling questions over whether her death was just accidental.
The administrative side projected a picture of a dedicated and exceptionally fast-working officer. Deputy Collector Neha Savani, defending the work conditions, said, “BLO Dinkal’s work report was very good. She completed AIR tasks very quickly and had already achieved 45% of her assigned work.”
Her statements underline a critical contradiction, while officers insist there was no undue pressure.
The tally of sudden BLO deaths is rising, with earlier cases involving suicides and heart attack-linked deaths among teachers.
Police have registered a case of accidental death and sent the body for postmortem, a report that will determine whether this was a tragic household mishap or a preventable loss linked to systemic strain.