Bhubaneswar, June 19: Tragedy and violence overshadowed the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Odisha on Friday, as a school headmaster on election duty allegedly died by suicide and another election officer was assaulted.

In Boudh district, a school headmaster deployed as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) for the intense electoral roll revision allegedly ended his life by consuming poison.

The deceased, identified as Sayan Sahoo, was the headmaster of Dimirikhol school. Local police have seized the body and sent it for a postmortem examination while initiating an official investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

According to his family, the intense pressure of balancing his regular role with the demanding state election duties drove him to the edge.

In a separate incident on the same day, another BLO was physically assaulted while executing official SIR responsibilities in Cuttack.

The assault took place near Dihasahi in the Shankarapur area during active electoral revision operations in the Shankarapur Bisinagar locality.

According to police sources, the officer was en route to perform his duties when an intoxicated individual intercepted him. The attacker allegedly hurled verbal abuse before physically assaulting the officer.

Following a formal complaint lodged at the Badambadi Police Station, law enforcement responded swiftly, arresting the accused and launching a full probe into the assault.