Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Rising incidents of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) engaged in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls dying by suicide or health complications in the past three week have triggered a controversy with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday saying over a dozen people have lost their lives to "hasty" and "forced" implementation of the exercise.
He alleged that the BJP's "vote chori" (vote theft) has now taken a "deadly turn" as BLOs and Assistant BLOs are driven to suicide as they are "overburdened with workload.
Kharge claimed around 15 BLOs were dead in the last 19 days due to overwork and the numbers are "far higher than what is reported, which is extremely alarming”.
Asking who will deliver justice to these families, Kharge posted on 'X', "the BJP is busy lapping up the cream of power through theft, while the Election Commission stands as a mute spectator watching the spectacle."
He said the "hasty, forced implementation" of SIR "without any planning brings back memories" of demonetisation and the COVID-19 lockdown. Abusing power to force institutions into suicides, tearing the Constitution to shreds, and weakening democracy—this is the consequence of the BJP's hunger for power, he alleged.
"Enough now!! If we still don't wake up, no one can save the last pillars of democracy from collapsing. Those who remain silent on SIR and vote theft are culpable in the deaths of these innocent BLOs. Raise your voice, save democracy" he added.
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also raised the issue and wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Media report showed that around 15 BLOs or Assistant BLOs have died by suicide or due to health complications since November 4 when the house-to-house enumeration started while some others are hospitalised, claiming workload and rising tension due to the deadlines set.
Four cases of deaths were reported from Madhya Pradesh while there are at least three cases each from Gujarat and West Bengal. Rajasthan reported two such cases while Kerala and Tamil Nadu also had one each.
Some notes recovered from those died by suicide said that they were taking their own life due to work pressure. Families of some others who passed away claimed that their family members were under lot of pressure to meet target and deadlines set by their seniors.