Archive · 24 Jul 2026
Delhi Teacher Death Sparks Electoral Duty Workload Concerns
A government school teacher in Delhi named Suman Lata died of a heart attack, with her family saying she was very stressed from doing both teaching and election-related work.
Another teacher tried to kill herself because of the same stress.
The office in charge of elections in Delhi said teachers should not have to leave their schools to do election work and should do it after school hours.
Teachers and their union say the work is too much and affects their teaching.
A court case has been started to stop teachers from being used for election work during school hours.
A government school teacher, Suman Lata, died of a heart attack due to extreme stress from juggling teaching and Booth Level Officer (BLO) duties.
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's office directed that teachers should not be required to disengage from their schools full-time and should undertake SIR/BLO-related work after school hours.
Teachers and their union have raised concerns about the workload and working conditions, stating that it affects their teaching and safety.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Delhi High Court challenging the deployment of government school teachers for BLO and SIR duties.
The PIL alleges that teachers are required to attend full-day training sessions, conduct house-to-house enumeration during school hours, and do data-entry and verification work over extended periods.
- Who
- Government school teachers in Delhi, including Suman Lata and other BLO supervisors.
- What
- Concerns over workload and working conditions of teachers assigned to electoral duties.
- When
- After the death of Suman Lata and a suicide attempt by another teacher on July 8.
- Where
- Delhi, India.
- Why
- Teachers are under extreme stress due to juggling teaching duties with Booth Level Officer (BLO) responsibilities.
Teachers' Concerns
Electoral Office Directive
Workload and Stress
Teachers' Concerns
Teachers are under extreme stress due to juggling teaching duties with Booth Level Officer (BLO) responsibilities, leading to health issues and suicide attempts.
Electoral Office Directive
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's office has directed that teachers should not be required to disengage from their schools full-time and should undertake SIR/BLO-related work after school hours.
Impact on Education
Teachers' Concerns
Teachers' deployment for BLO duties is affecting education in government schools, with only guest teachers left to conduct classes.
Electoral Office Directive
The Electoral Office has cited the Election Commission's instructions that BLO activities should be carried out during holidays, non-teaching hours, after school hours, and on non-teaching days to avoid loss of academic work.
- Teacher's Name
- Suman Lata
- Age
- 51
- Cause of Death
- Heart attack
- Date of Death
- Wednesday
- Date of Suicide Attempt
- July 8
- Number of District Election Officers
- 13
- Number of Electoral Registration Officers
- 70
- Date of PIL Hearing
- Friday