NEW DELHI: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Kerala’s electoral roll is expected to be severely affected on Monday after multiple trade unions announced that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across the state will boycott work. The decision follows the death of a BLO in Kannur, whose family and colleagues allege he was under intense work pressure linked to the SIR process.The Action Council of State Government Employees and Teachers, the Joint Committee of Teacher Service Organisations, and the Kerala NGO Association said on Sunday that their members would not report for duty. They have also announced joint protest marches at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer and at collectorates in all districts.
According to the organisations, BLOs are burdened with unrealistic targets as part of the SIR and the preparations for the upcoming local body elections. “Instead, it imposed an unrealistic workload with high targets in a very short period. This pressure is pushing BLOs toward suicide,” their statement said.Tension escalated after the death of Aneesh George, 44, a BLO from Payyannur, Kannur, who was found hanging in his home on Sunday. His family and local residents have alleged that he took the extreme step due to the heavy workload associated with the SIR. Police records also state he had been under stress related to his duties.His father said George had been tense for days. “I never expected that things would reach this level… He took the extreme step out of this tension,” he said. A family acquaintance, Shyam, also said the deceased had spoken about the pressure to complete SIR-related work.Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan demanded a thorough probe, saying the workload faced by BLOs must be examined. “SIR was initiated by the central government. The ongoing process is more intensive than even the preparations for the Assembly elections,” he said.CPI(M)’s M V Jayarajan said George “might have felt that there was no option other than to end his own life,” and urged that the SIR be halted until the local body polls. Congress leader Rijil Makkutty alleged that George was a victim of the Election Commission’s attempt to advance the process “to fulfil the BJP agenda”.Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar said a report from the district collector has been sought. He added that BLOs are only required to handle SIR-related work for 31 days and “normally there is no chance of any work pressure”. The police probe and collector’s report, he said, will clarify the circumstances.(With inputs from agencies)
