Kerala BLO’s suicide due to ‘unbearable SIR pressure’ ignites statewide protest

Thiruvananthapuram: A Booth Level Officer (BLO) working for the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state died by suicide over alleged work pressure, maktoobmedia.com reported.

Following the death of 41-year-old Aneesh George, who was a school attendant, BLOs across the state announced to boycott duties on Monday in protest.

Aneesh George, who was among more than 25,000 BLOs in the state tasked with distributing and collecting SIR enumeration forms, was found dead inside his home in Ettukudukka near Payyannur. Aneesh is survived by his wife and three children.

Aneesh, according to his father George, had been under considerable stress while attempting to complete the revision process which began on 4 November.

The incident points to the pressure being faced by BLOs across the country.

Another BLO from Jaipur, Mukeshchand Jangid, died by jumping in front of a train leaving a note in his pocket, which alleged extreme pressure from the survey schedule alongside harassment by officials.

Registering a case under under Section 194 (unnatural death) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the Peringome police stated no suicide note was recovered following Aneesh’s death.

Several BLOs in the state previously shared concerns about workload alongside the unofficial deadline set by the superiors although official deadline being 4 December.

The Action Council of State Government Employees and Teachers and the Action Council representing service organisations of teachers have called for the protest in the state with the protesters announcing a march to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer and to the Returning Officers’ offices in all districts.

However Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ratan U Kelkar told the media that he had received no complaints from BLOs regarding work pressure.

‘To support BLOs on the ground, senior officers, collectors, and I also went at times. But no one raised any complaints. They have no additional work for 31 days apart from this,’ he reportedly said.

Alongside questioning the arbitrary deadline for completing the tasks, Senior CPI(M) leader M.V. Jayarajan said 35,000 of the 2.5 lakh staff deployed for local body poll duties had been assigned SIR duties.

‘One person is being asked to do two full-time jobs. This is the reality behind SIR,’ he said.