Kerala BLO’s suicide amid SIR work triggers political row and protests; EC official downplays work pressure

Kannur, Kerala:The suicide of Booth Level Officer (BLO) Aneesh George in Payyannur has intensified political tensions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. George, who also worked as a school peon, was found hanging in the hall of his home on Sunday.

His father told reporters that his son had been overwhelmed by work pressure, saying, "I never expected that things would reach this level. No individual or society had any role in his death. As per his nature, he was not accustomed to doing any tough tasks like this. He took the extreme step out of this tension."

Family friends and neighbours also highlighted George’s stress. Shyam, a family acquaintance, said George had repeatedly complained about the heavy workload and the demands of completing SIR tasks.

Political backlash intensifies

Major political parties have criticised the SIR implementation in Kerala. CPI(M) leader M V Jayarajan said George "might have felt that there was no option other than to end his own life. His death was extremely unfortunate." He urged the Election Commission to suspend SIR until after local body elections.

Congress leader Rijil Makkutty blamed the Election Commission, claiming George became a victim of attempts to implement SIR prematurely for political gains. Local Congress leaders alleged George faced political pressure during his BLO duties and promised to release evidence, including audio recordings, to support their claims.

Election Commission official downplays pressure

Chief Electoral Officer Kerala, Rathan U Kelkar, stated that a report on the death had been sought from the Kannur district collector. He said, "A police investigation is also underway. The other things can be decided after receiving the report. The BLOs are working in a collective manner and we have not received any information about their work pressure so far."

Kelkar added that BLOs are only required to perform SIR-related tasks for 31 days and that normally there is no work pressure. He emphasised that the police investigation and the collector’s report would provide all necessary details.

Statewide BLO protest planned

Despite official reassurances, BLOs across Kerala have decided to withdraw from duties on Monday in protest. Officials highlight that 35,000 BLOs are deployed under SIR, and staff argue that unattainable targets are driving extreme stress and, in rare cases, suicide.

The joint committees of the Action Council of State Government Employees and Teachers and the Teachers’ Service Organisation announced a statewide work withdrawal and planned protest marches to the Chief Electoral Officer and all district electoral offices in Kerala.