Kerala Booth Level Officers to Boycott SIR Work on Monday After Kannur Officer’s Suicide

Thiruvananthapuram: The SIR exercise in Kerala is likely to be affected on Monday as booth-level officers will boycott work, a body of state government employees and two other organisations said.

The work boycott was announced by the Action Council of State Government Employees and Teachers, the Joint Committee of Teacher Service Organisations, and the Kerala NGO Association, following the suicide of a booth level officer in Kannur.

In a statement, the trade unions said BLOs across the state would abstain from work on Monday. Joint protest marches are also planned at the office of the Kerala Chief Electoral Officer and at collectorates in all districts.

The organizations alleged that BLOs are under severe pressure due to the Special Intensive Revision process and duties related to the upcoming local body elections. Although all political parties and service organizations demanded that the SIR be postponed, the Election Commission reportedly refused. "Instead, it imposed an unrealistic workload with high targets in a very short period. This pressure is pushing BLOs toward suicide," the statement said.

Association leaders said the SIR process should be stopped immediately to prevent further suicides. According to the association, BLOs are being forced to work day and night to revise a voters' list that was published 23 years ago, without being given sufficient time. They warned that further agitations would be organized in the coming days if an immediate solution is not found.

Aneesh George, 44, a BLO in Payyannur, Kannur, was found hanging in his house on Sunday. Family members and residents alleged that he took the extreme step due to work-related pressure linked to the SIR.

CPI Kerala state secretary Binoy Viswam on Sunday urged the Election Commission to extend the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process without exerting pressure on Booth Level Officers (BLOs), following the suicide of Kannur BLO Aneesh George. Leader of Opposition, V D Satheesan, said George's death should be thoroughly probed, as BLOs are facing excessive workloads.

Meanwhile, Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar has sought a report from the Kannur District Collector.