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West Bengal CM says SIR exercise is putting BLOs under stress, expresses solidarity with them

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday, once again, slammed the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the plights of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls exercise in the State. Mamata, while delivering her speech in a state government programme to commemorate the Constitution Day on Red Road in the city today, said, BLOs have died in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Bengal. The ongoing SIR exercise in nine states and three Union Territories has landed a large number of BLOs, the main workforce in the electoral rolls revision drive, in stress and strain. 'How many more need to die for SIR?': Mamata attacks EC after another BLO dies by suicide in Bengal They had to wait for 48 hours at the CEO's office to get themselves heard. Why so much arrogance? BLOs are dying. Wont they speak out? How can a work that requires three years be completed in two months? the Chief Minister asked. Her crusade against the ECI remained unabated as the national poll panel wrote a strong letter to Manoj Agarwal, Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, expressing serious concern with the safety and security of the state CEO, Manoj Agarwal, other senior officers and staff in his office at B B D Bag. A section of agitating BLOs backed by her party, Trinamool Congress, gheraoed Agarwals chamber for about 30 hours since Monday afternoon, protesting against the inhuman workload generated by the SIR-related duties like distributions and collections of enumeration forms during door-to-door visits. ECI expresses concern over security of officers, staff at Bengal CEO's office; seeks action taken report Trinamool Congress is attributing many of the Bengal deaths to suicides driven by SIR-related stress. On Tuesday, an assistant teacher in Uttar Pradeshs Jaunpur district, serving as a BLO in Khempur gram panchayat, died by suicide. Last week, Mamata wrote to the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, urging him to stop the SIR exercise in Bengal. She had claimed that 28 lives, including three BLOs, have already been lost in the State due to work pressure and stress caused by the SIR drive. Now, we must protect the valuable guidance that the Constitution provides, especially when democracy is at stake, when secularism is in an endangered situation, when federalism is being bulldozed, at this critical time, Mamata wrote on her X. On this sacred day, we reaffirm our commitment to the core democratic values enshrined in our Constitution. Voting rights are being snatched. Communal and social divisions are being encouraged. All rights are being snatched. We have to fight against this together, she said. Nearly 14 lakh SIR forms identified as 'uncollectable' so far in West Bengal BJP trying to implement CAA through SIR in border areas, alleges West Bengal CM at Bongaon rally