Amid the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in Kerala’s Kannur district died by suicide on Sunday, allegedly due to work-related pressure.
The incident has prompted BLOs across the state to announce that they will boycott duties on Monday in protest.
Forty-one-year-old Aneesh George, who worked as a school attendant, was found dead inside his home in Ettukudukka near Payyannur.
Aneesh was among more than 25,000 BLOs in Kerala tasked with distributing and collecting SIR enumeration forms as part of the voter list revision exercise that began on 4 November.
According to his father, George, Aneesh had been under considerable stress while attempting to complete the assigned tasks.
“He was under stress for the past few days because of the SIR work. But we never expected his tensions would lead to this. No individual or society is responsible for this. He was not used to hard labour. From what I understand, he found it difficult to locate people in vast areas to distribute the forms, and that led to this,” George said, speaking to the media.
Aneesh is survived by his wife and three children.
The incident comes at a time when similar tragedies have raised concerns about the pressure faced by BLOs across the country.
In a comparable case, another BLO from Jaipur, Mukeshchand Jangid, who had been preparing the voter list, died by suicide by jumping in front of a train. A suicide note recovered from his pocket alleged extreme pressure from the survey schedule and harassment by officials.
Following Aneesh’s death, the Peringome police registered a case under Section 194 (unnatural death) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Police stated that no suicide note was recovered from the location.
Several BLOs in Kerala had earlier expressed concerns about the workload and an unofficial deadline imposed by their superiors, despite the official deadline being 4 December.
In protest against Aneesh’s death, BLOs across Kerala have announced a boycott of duties on Monday.
The strike is being held under the leadership of the Action Council of State Government Employees and Teachers, along with the Action Council representing service organisations of teachers.
Reports indicate that protesters will also march to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer and to the Returning Officers’ offices in all districts.
Meanwhile, 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 said, adding that he has sought a detailed report from the Kannur District Collector.
Senior CPI(M) leader M.V. Jayarajan from Kannur also questioned the arbitrary deadline being imposed on BLOs at a time when the local body elections are underway and Assembly elections are still nearly six months away.
He pointed out that of the 2.5 lakh staff deployed for local body poll duties, 35,000 had been diverted for the SIR.
“One person is being asked to do two full-time jobs. This is the reality behind SIR,” he said, speaking to the media.
He highlighted that during Saturday’s all-party meeting, every party except the BJP had urged the Chief Electoral Officer to postpone the revision work until after the local body elections.
Jayarajan stressed that in light of Aneesh’s death, the revision work must be halted immediately to ensure that no other employee reaches this breaking point.
Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, demanded a serious investigation into the incident, stating, “The suicide of BLO Aneesh George in Kannur must be investigated thoroughly,” noting that “BLOs are facing excessive workload.”
“The Election Commission and the government must investigate this properly and provide answers. The government must examine whether BLOs are experiencing an unbearable workload,” he said, alleging, “The SIR is something the Centre imposed forcefully. The process currently underway is far more extensive than a legislative assembly election.”
“The Election Commission must conduct a proper inquiry. Many BLOs are working under severe pressure from the top,” he said.
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