Beyond the politics of it - is there a ‘human cost’ to the election commission's nationwide SIR?
Since the Special Intensive Revision began on November 4, reports suggest that at least 15 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have tragically died. 4 each in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, 3 in West Bengal, 2 in Rajasthan, and 1 each in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
In a majority of the cases, the deaths have been due to heart attacks and crippling work-related stress. In at least two cases, the BLOs died by suicide.
For context - booth level officers are government or semi-government employees that are commandeered by the ECI. They include teachers, anganwadi workers, postmen, and more. Importantly, if appointed, they do not have the right of refusal, except in a very few circumstances.
And according to Rahul Gandhi, this makes the ECI directly responsible for the deaths. The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition condemned the SIR as “imposed tyranny” by the poll panel.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. She has urged the CEC to put an immediate stop to the process in her state, citing the “human cost” of the exercise.
Relatives and friends of deceased BLOs too hit out at the ECI. They called the December 4 deadline unrealistic, resulting in crippling stress levels for the officers.
That’s because Phase 2 of the SIR, covering 12 states and union territories, has flipped the script. Unlike Phase 1 in Bihar, Phase 2 places the onus on BLOs to match details on forms with older electoral rolls.
One of the biggest problems cited by BLOs is the challenge of digitising enumeration forms.
BLOs allege that they face constant glitches and connectivity issues. They say uploading a single form takes 10 minutes, making daily targets unachievable. Moreover, the officials claim anxious voters are avoiding them, given the attempt to weed out illegal immigrants.
So, how has the ECI responded? By cracking down further on these stressed officers.
In UP, the Noida administration registered FIRs against 60+ BLOs and 7 supervisors for alleged negligence and disobedience. While in Bahraich, two BLOs have been suspended for failing to report for duty.
