A school employee, who was working as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) for the upcoming local body elections, was found hanging in his house in this north Kerala district on Sunday, police reported.
Local people and his family members alleged that Aneesh George, the deceased man, took the extreme step due to the severe work pressure related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. George was employed as a peon in a government school in Payyannur. Police said he was found hanging in the hall of the first floor of his house in Payyannur. The FIR indicates the man had been under pressure for some time regarding his BLO duties.
Shyam, a person close to George's family, told reporters that the deceased had complained about the heavy workload and job stress connected with completing the SIR-related work. "His family said that Aneesh George was working till 2:00 am on Sunday. They said that he was under immense pressure to complete the filling of the forms related to SIR and distribute it among everyone in the designated area," he said.
This shocking incident occurred while major political parties, including the ruling CPI (M) and the opposition Congress, have been voicing concerns against the implementation of the SIR in the state.
CPI(M) leader MV Jayarajan said they had been pointing out the work pressure experienced by BLOs due to the SIR. "Due to the extreme workload, he might have felt that there was no option other than ending his own life. His death was extremely unfortunate," Jayarajan said, urging the Election Commission to halt the implementation of the SIR until the local body elections are over.
Congress leader Rijil Makkutty alleged that Aneesh George was a victim of the Election Commission's attempt to implement the SIR ahead of the local body polls to fulfil a Bharatiya Janata Party agenda.
Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala, Dr Rathan U Kelkar, said a report had been sought from the Kannur district collector regarding the death. "A police investigation is also underway. The other things can be decided after receiving the report. The BLOs are working in a collective manner and we have not received any information about their work pressure so far," he told reporters.
He clarified that BLOs are not required to do any job other than the one in connection with the SIR for 31 days and that there should normally be no chance of any work pressure. The official added that the police investigation and the district collector's report would bring out all details of the incident.
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