The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) engaged in special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala have decided to boycott work related to the exercise on Monday. The decision comes following the suicide of a BLO, owing to the work pressure related to SIR on Sunday.
The boycott was announced by the Action Council of State Government Employees and Teachers, the Joint Committee of Teacher Service Organisations, and the Kerala NGO Association. The trade unions announced they will boycott work on November 17. The government employees have reportedly also planned to take out protest marches to district collectorates and the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Kerala.
Aneesh George, 44, a BLO in Kannur, Kerala, was found hanging in his house on Sunday. Family members and people close to George alleged that he took the extreme step due to work-related pressure linked to the SIR, PTI reported.
The government employees' organisations alleged BLOs in Kerala are undergoing severe stress due to SIR and duties related to the upcoming local body elections. Though several political parties and service organisations opposed conducting SIR close to local body polls in the state, the Election Commission refused to postpone the exercise.
"Instead, it imposed an unrealistic workload with high targets in a very short period. This pressure is pushing BLOs toward suicide," a statement from the organisations said. The association leaders said the SIR process should be stopped immediately to prevent further suicides.
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The associations alleged the BLOs are forced to work round-the-clock to revise a voters' list that was published 23 years ago, without being given sufficient time. The associations warned they would conduct further agitations in the state if an immediate solution is not found to challenges faced by BLOs.
Kerala Opposition leader V.D. Satheeshan demanded a thorough probe into the incident. "SIR was initiated by the central government. The ongoing process is more intensive than even the preparations for the Assembly elections," he told PTI.
