BLOs demand compensation for SIR deceased families; Massive protest outside Bengal CEO office

Kolkata witnessed massive protest today as grieving family members of deceased Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and members of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Manch stormed the Bengal EC office. They blocked CEO Manoj Agarwal’s car, lay down in front of it, and shouted slogans demanding justice and financial help for families who lost loved ones because of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) work pressure. The protest turned chaotic with Kolkata Police trying to clear the road while demonstrators refused to move.

The fresh wave of anger was triggered by the death of Zakir Hossain, a BLO from Khargram in Murshidabad, who collapsed and died yesterday while being taken to hospital. His son Imadul and brother blames nonstop SIR work, faulty BLO app glitches, and huge daily targets gave Zakir severe stress and a heart attack. “The unplanned pressure from the Commission killed my brother,” Joseph told outside the Bengal CEO office at BBD Bagh. They want a proper inquiry and compensation for every BLO who died or fell sick because of the revision drive.

At the same time, inside the building, CEO Manoj Agarwal was holding a high-level meeting with recently appointed Special Observer Subrata Gupta and 12 electoral roll observers sent by the Election Commission. When the meeting ended and the CEO was leaving, his car was blocked, some protestors layed down infront of his car which instensifies the protest massively. Despite heavy police presence, protestors surrounded his car for several minutes until senior officers convinced them to let him go. The protest has once again put the spotlight on the growing tension between ground-level election workers and the Commission over the tough SIR process.