Kolkata, Dec 25: A Booth Level Officer (BLO) has gone missing in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district before the start of the hearing process of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, said the police on Thursday.

According to his family members, he has been untraceable for the past two days. The BLO’s identity card is at his home, along with various enumeration forms and related documents. The disappearance of the BLO before the public hearing of the SIR process has caused a stir in the area.

The district administration has also launched efforts to find the missing BLO.

The police said that the name of the BLO is Amit Kumar Mondal, a resident of Bikihat area under Khajurdihi Panchayat in Katwa I block of East Burdwan district, and a teacher by profession. He teaches at Uddharanpur Primary School in Ketugram. He is in charge of Booth No. 23 of the Katwa Assembly constituency as a BLO.

According to his family, on Tuesday, around 10 a.m., the BLO returned home from the market, parked his motorbike and went out again. He told his family that he had a BLO meeting. After the afternoon passed, the BLO did not return home.

When the family members started a search for him, they found his mobile phone, BLO identity card and SIR-related documents lying at home. The family searched for him in various places, including the homes of relatives, but could not trace him. That same night, the family filed a missing person report at the Katwa police station. It has been over two days, and there is still no trace of him.

The mystery surrounding Amit Kumar Mondal’s disappearance is deepening. The family is also clueless about the reason for his disappearance. The family claimed that he had been under some pressure since taking the responsibility of working as a BLO

It is learnt that there are 641 voters in Amit Kumar Mondal’s Booth No. 23. He had distributed notices to 33 voters for the hearing. The hearing is scheduled to begin in two days, where his presence as the BLO is mandatory.

However, his disappearance before that has put the administration in a challenging position. Katwa Sub-Divisional Officer Anirban Basu did not give any official statement to the media on this matter.

Sources said that if he is not found in due time, then a replacement will be made to complete his unfinished work.

A senior officer of East Burdwan district police said, “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.”

Mumbai: A major fire erupted in a residential high-rise, Sorrento Tower, located on Veera Desai Road, Andheri West on Thursday morning,  in which several people were stranded. The incident of fire was reported to Mumbai Fire Brigade at 10.05 am. 

Over 40 residents from the upper floors who were stranded at upper floors were rescued by the firefighters. Due to swift action by the authorities, no injury was reported and all residents were evacuated safely.

“The incident took place in Sorrento Tower, Veera Desai Road, near country club, Andheri West. Total 30-40 people from 16th floor refuge area are safely rescued through staircase. Two males and one female safely rescued from flat no 1503 on 15th floor using BA set.”

“The fire was confined to electric wiring, electric installation etc in electric shaft from 10th floor to 21st floor and router, shoe rack, wooden furniture etc near electric duct on various floors of Stilt+ 4 Podium+ 5th to 22nd floors residential building,” the report from BMC disaster management said.

Agencies including Mumbai Fire Brigade, Police, staff from concerned Electricity Distribution Company, ambulance and Ward staff are deployed on the spot.The fire was declared Level 1 on 10.20 am and doused at 11.37 pm. No injuries were reported.Further details are awaited in the incident. The authorities are investigating the cause of fire.

Bhopa/Maihar, Dec 25: Three young labourers lost their lives in a devastating road accident near the Gujra toll plaza in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar district.

A speeding motorcycle carrying the trio collided violently with a tractor-trolley parked on the roadside close to the Indian Gas Agency under the Mukundpur police outpost of the district.

The impact was catastrophic, destroying the motorcycle completely and throwing the riders onto the road, where they succumbed to their injuries instantly.

The deceased have been identified as Ankit Sodhia, Deepak Kol, and Nagendra Kol, all residents of Jamuna village, police officials said.

They were returning home after a day’s work as labourers in Rewa when tragedy struck on the Bela-Govindgarh road near the Gujra petrol pump.

Preliminary police investigation points to high speed and possible negligence as the primary cause. Also, the trolley had no reflector on it.

Authorities are also probing whether the riders were under the influence of alcohol, a factor that could have impaired their judgment in the dark hours.

Upon receiving information, Tala police station officers promptly arrived at the scene with their team. The bodies were taken into custody, the necessary formalities completed, and sent to Amarpatan hospital for post-mortem examination.

The police are further examining why the tractor-trolley was stationed on the highway without adequate warning red reflectors, a practice that has become a recurring hazard. Local residents have expressed growing frustration over heavy vehicles parked on roadsides at night, which often lead to such fatal mishaps due to poor visibility.

Villagers have urged the district administration to enforce strict measures, including mandatory reflective signs, lights, or barriers for parked vehicles, especially on busy stretches. They have further urged the authorities to take immediate action, as during winters, dense fog adds to trouble for vehicle riders, more so in dark hours.