BLOs across Kerala protest amid chaos over colleague’s alleged suicide

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) on Monday boycotted work to register their protest against the authorities over the alleged suicide of a colleague in Kerala’s Kannur.

Aneesh George, a BLO appointed in Payyannur Assembly constituency of Kannur district, allegedly died by suicide due to work-related stress amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive being carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | BLOs across the state boycotted work in protest over the suicide of a BLO in Kannur. They marched to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer
In other districts, protests were held at the District Collectorates. The protest was jointly… pic.twitter.com/i7vhS7VEsc

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Reacting to George’s demise, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala accused the ECI of “pressurising” BLOs to complete the SIR drive amid time constraints. He urged the poll body to take cognisance of and allow more time for BLOs to finish their work, as they remain “overloaded”.

“I never accept any suicide attempt. People should be bold to face problems. They should not commit suicide. Everyone should discourage that. The Election Commission is pressuring the BLOs to complete this process within a short time. How is it possible? The Election Commission should take cognisance of this kind of incident and allow time for the people to complete their work. They are overloaded, that is why such things are taking place,” Chennithala told ANI.

The BLOs in Kannur marched to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). In other districts, protests were held at the District Collectorates. The Council of State government employees jointly organised the protest, along with the Teachers Action Council and the Teachers Service Organisation.

They have held the Election Commission accountable for the demise of their colleague Aneesh George, who was an office attendant at Kunnaru AUP School. They have said that BLOs remain under severe pressure due to the intense voter list revision process. The additional burden of local body election duties has further increased their stress.

The statement noted that despite calls from all political parties and service organisations to postpone the SIR process, the Election Commission has reportedly refused to do so. Instead, it is allegedly setting heavy targets that must be met in an extremely short timeframe, making the tasks nearly impossible to accomplish. As a result, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are being driven to their limits, with some even contemplating suicide.

Hence, under the joint leadership of the Action Council of State Government Employees and Teachers and Teachers’ Service Organisations’ BLOs across the state, are boycotting their duties from today as a form of protest. Additionally, protest marches are planned to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office and to the offices of all District Election Officers (Collectorates), announced leaders of the joint struggle committee, MV Shashidharan and KP Gopakumar.

Meanwhile, the leader of opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheeshan, called for a thorough investigation into the suicide of BLO officer Aneesh George. He emphasised that both the Election Commission of India and the government must properly investigate this matter and provide clear answers.

“The government must examine whether BLOs are indeed being overburdened. The SIR process has been imposed by the Centre. A procedure even larger than a legislative assembly election is now underway. The Election Commission must conduct a proper investigation. Many BLOs are working under intense pressure from higher authorities,” said VD Satheeshan in a statement.

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala, expressed sorrow at the untimely demise of Aneesh George, Booth Level Officer, and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. (ANI)