BLOs protest outside Bengal CEO's office over 'excessive' work pressure, EC calls them 'real heroes'

House-to-house enumeration under the SIR began on November 4 and will continue till December 4, with draft rolls scheduled for publication on December 9.

Kolkata: Alleging "excessive work pressure" and "unmanageable workload", Booth-level officers (BLOs) engaged in the ongoing SIR process in West Bengal clashed with the police on Monday while attempting to enter the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office here during a demonstration, a senior officer said.

The agitators found little solace in the words of CEO Manoj Agarwal who later hailed the role of the BLOs they are currently putting in for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stating that they were the "real heroes" of the exercise.

At least three BLOs in West Bengal have died during the door-to-door enumeration form distribution and collection process since November 4, the day the enumeration phase began in the state. Two of them died by suicide, and one died under unnatural circumstances.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has led the Trinamool Congress's condemnation against those deaths and has laid squarely on the Election Commission alleging "unplanned implementation" of the exercise that is being conducted in "express haste".

Following the latest death on November 22, the deceased BLO Rinku Tarafdar -- a para teacher from Krishnanagar in Nadia district -- who left behind a purported suicide note, the Trinamool Congress leadership came down heavily on the SIR process.

"How many more need to die for this SIR?" Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked, while sharing the suicide note on social media, and blaming the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the unbearable work pressure.

On Monday, members of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee marched from College Square in north Kolkata to the CEO's office in BBD Bag in central Kolkata, carrying locks and fetters to symbolically close the main entrance of the building.

High drama unfolded after a 10-member delegation -- comprising four BLOs and six teachers or state government employees -- entered the CEO's office in the evening to submit their grievances. An officer accepted their memorandum in the absence of the CEO.

However, as the delegation was leaving, one member alleged receiving a threat message for participating in the rally, prompting the group to launch an impromptu sit-in inside the office.

Amid the commotion, personnel of Kolkata Police and security staff at the CEO's office physically lifted the protesters and removed them from the premises.

Earlier, during the protest, the demonstrators climbed atop the police barricade in front of the CEO's office and raised slogans against the ECI, alleging that they were forced to hold the procession as the "poll panel did not respond to their complaints of intense and inhuman work pressure during the SIR exercise."

"BLOs have been directed to complete tasks within a month, a task that usually takes more than two years," a functionary claimed.

Besides unmanageable timelines, the agitating BLOs also raised concerns over the lack of an edit option on the BLO app, which is making the digitisation of the SIR forms harder, when the uploading process itself is taking 10 minutes as the website server remains slow.

The committee also alleged that BLOs were falling sick and two of them died by suicide due to stress.

Responding to questions on the agitation, Agarwal said many BLOs were working beyond office hours to reach voters and complete the formalities.

"BLOs are doing a commendable job. They are the real heroes of the SIR process. The process started on November 4, and within 20 days, they reached over 7 crore voters, which is a formidable task," the CEO said.

He also conveyed that the officials at the CEO's office held a meeting with internet service providers of the state and will soon implement high-speed wi-fi hubs across West Bengal to enable BLOs to quickly upload digitised forms of applicants.

According to the latest data shared by Agarwal, of the 7.64 crore forms which have been distributed in the state, collection and digitisation of 4.55 crore forms have already been completed.

The BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee had earlier announced that para-teachers, college professors and teachers from several organisations would join the march to press for immediate intervention by the Election Commission.

House-to-house enumeration under the SIR will continue till December 4, with draft rolls scheduled for publication on December 9.

The committee warned that if deadlines are not extended or corrective steps are not taken, it will launch a continuous protest programme.

Meanwhile, another organisation, Votekormi and BLO Aikya Mancha (Election staff and Booth Level Officer United Forum), separately flagged issues related to the digitisation of enumeration forms and demanded additional support staff.

It had submitted a demand charter on November 22 which included higher compensation for the families of deceased BLOs than the state-announced figure of Rs 2 lakh each.

A senior EC official told PTI the demands of both BLO platforms have been received by the CEO's office but did not want to comment on their agitation.