BLOs boycott SIR work across Kerala after officer’s suicide; Opposition demands probe against CPI(M)

Thiruvananthapuram: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Kerala was affected across the state on Monday as booth-level officers (BLOs) boycotted work following the suicide of an officer allegedly due to work strain.

Aneesh George, 44, a BLO in Payyannur, Kannur, was found hanging at his house on Sunday.

Family members and local residents alleged that he took the extreme step because of work-related pressure linked to the SIR exercise.

Various trade unions of state government employees, including the Action Council of State Government Employees and Teachers and the Joint Committee of Teacher Service Organisations, held protests at district collectorates demanding that authorities refrain from exerting excessive pressure on BLOs and consider postponing the SIR.

The Kerala NGO Association also staged protests across the state, demanding that SIR procedures be stopped to prevent further suicides.

Meanwhile, the body of George was handed over to his relatives after post mortem on Monday.

George’s family reiterated that he had been under severe work pressure related to the SIR.

“He did not even get time to have food and sleep properly. He was under severe strain to complete work assigned as part of the SIR exercise,” Saiju, George’s brother-in-law, told reporters.

Saiju added that George was frequently contacted by senior officers for updates.

“Seeing the severe workload, George’s father told him not to worry even if he loses his job,” he said.

Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said that a preliminary probe indicated that the role of CPI(M) workers in George’s suicide should also be examined.

“We came to know that George was threatened after a Congress booth-level agent accompanied him for enumeration,” he alleged.

He also alleged that both the BJP and CPI(M) were attempting to keep traditional Congress voters off the rolls.

“While the BJP is implementing SIR with ill intent, CPI(M) is carrying it forward in Kerala. We will oppose it strongly, legally and politically,” he said.

Satheesan urged the state government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure the safety of BLOs and conduct a thorough investigation.

“A majority of BLOs are women. There are around 700–1,200 voters in a booth, and BLOs have to visit each house multiple times to meet targets in a short period,” he added.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph said a telephonic conversation by George revealed that he was threatened by CPI(M) workers for accompanying Congress booth-level agents during enumeration.

“The conversation revealed that CPI(M) threatened to file a false complaint against George, accusing him of distributing Congress pamphlets at houses. Apart from work strain, this political threat led to his suicide,” Joseph said.

He added that the Congress party fully supports the protesting BLOs.

“We hope that the protest by BLOs will compel the Election Commission to open its eyes. Despite our repeated requests, the Commission decided to conduct SIR at a time when the local body election has already been announced,” he said.

Joseph said the party would approach the Supreme Court against the SIR process.

“By considering the 2002 voters’ list, even I don’t have voting rights. Several political leaders will not figure in the voters’ list. The Government of India and the Election Commission are eliminating the basic democratic rights of citizens,” he alleged.