<p>Thiruvananthapuram: With a booth level officer (BLOs) engaged in special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Kerala ending life by suicide allegedly due to work stress, many BLOs have shared the pressure and hardships they are going through owing to SIR.</p><p>Visiting each household multiple times to meet the voters, addressing their concerns over the SIR, assisting illiterate people fill the forms and above all frequent pressure from higher-ups to expedite the process. Thus goes the plight of BLOs who gathered in front of the chief electoral office in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday to stage a protest over the death of BLO Aneesh George of Payyanur in Kannur.</p><p>"I am taking my husband along with me to assist. Otherwise I won't be able to finish the job in time. We have to walk from door to door, which is indeed a tiring task," a woman BLO in Thiruvananthapuram said.</p>.Kerala BLO involved in SIR ends life allegedly due to work stress.<p>Most women BLOs are seeking the service of their relatives or friends to assist them visit households. Many of them are involved in office jobs and hence the door to door job is an unfamiliar task. Each BLO will have to enroll 900 to 1400 voters.</p><p><strong>Show cause notice</strong></p><p>Amidst the row over the death of a BLO, a show cause notice issued by Kozhikode sub-collector to a BLO for lagging behind in enrollment has come out. An audio conversation of a higher official warning a BLO of disciplinary action for lagging behind in enrollment also came out.</p><p>Many BLOs who took part in the stir in front of the CEO office said that they used to get frequent calls from higher-ups pressing for speeding up. "We go out of home in the early hours and will be able to return only in the late hours. After the SIR exercise started we were not even able to have food in time. Many of us could end up with health issues owing to the mental and physical stress," said a BLO from Idukki district.</p><p><strong>Political row</strong></p><p>The death of BLO Aneesh George has triggered a political row with the Congress alleging that George faced threats from local CPM activists for seeking the help of a booth level agent of the Congress in identifying some households and voters. The CPM hit back by alleging that the Congress was trying to justify the SIR exercise.</p><p>Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that the state government should ensure a detailed probe into all reasons that led to George's death. "Apart from the work pressure, George was under stress after some local CPM activists threatened him for seeking a Congress BLA's help. The election commission should seriously review the stress that BLOs are undergoing," he said.</p><p><strong>IUML moves SC</strong></p><p>The Indian Union Muslim League has moved the Supreme Court urging that the SIR activities in Kerala should be stopped immediately in view of the stress that the BLOs are suffering. IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty MLA moved the petition citing the death of BLO George. He pointed out that since the local body elections are happening in Kerala, the SIR being held along with it was causing severe stress to officials.</p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: With a booth level officer (BLOs) engaged in special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Kerala ending life by suicide allegedly due to work stress, many BLOs have shared the pressure and hardships they are going through owing to SIR.</p><p>Visiting each household multiple times to meet the voters, addressing their concerns over the SIR, assisting illiterate people fill the forms and above all frequent pressure from higher-ups to expedite the process. Thus goes the plight of BLOs who gathered in front of the chief electoral office in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday to stage a protest over the death of BLO Aneesh George of Payyanur in Kannur.</p><p>"I am taking my husband along with me to assist. Otherwise I won't be able to finish the job in time. We have to walk from door to door, which is indeed a tiring task," a woman BLO in Thiruvananthapuram said.</p>.Kerala BLO involved in SIR ends life allegedly due to work stress.<p>Most women BLOs are seeking the service of their relatives or friends to assist them visit households. Many of them are involved in office jobs and hence the door to door job is an unfamiliar task. Each BLO will have to enroll 900 to 1400 voters.</p><p><strong>Show cause notice</strong></p><p>Amidst the row over the death of a BLO, a show cause notice issued by Kozhikode sub-collector to a BLO for lagging behind in enrollment has come out. An audio conversation of a higher official warning a BLO of disciplinary action for lagging behind in enrollment also came out.</p><p>Many BLOs who took part in the stir in front of the CEO office said that they used to get frequent calls from higher-ups pressing for speeding up. "We go out of home in the early hours and will be able to return only in the late hours. After the SIR exercise started we were not even able to have food in time. Many of us could end up with health issues owing to the mental and physical stress," said a BLO from Idukki district.</p><p><strong>Political row</strong></p><p>The death of BLO Aneesh George has triggered a political row with the Congress alleging that George faced threats from local CPM activists for seeking the help of a booth level agent of the Congress in identifying some households and voters. The CPM hit back by alleging that the Congress was trying to justify the SIR exercise.</p><p>Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that the state government should ensure a detailed probe into all reasons that led to George's death. "Apart from the work pressure, George was under stress after some local CPM activists threatened him for seeking a Congress BLA's help. The election commission should seriously review the stress that BLOs are undergoing," he said.</p><p><strong>IUML moves SC</strong></p><p>The Indian Union Muslim League has moved the Supreme Court urging that the SIR activities in Kerala should be stopped immediately in view of the stress that the BLOs are suffering. IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty MLA moved the petition citing the death of BLO George. He pointed out that since the local body elections are happening in Kerala, the SIR being held along with it was causing severe stress to officials.</p>