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Amid the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in Kerala’s Kannur district died by suicide, allegedly due to work pressure. The BLO, identified as 41-year-old Aneesh George, a school attendant by profession, was found dead inside his house in Ettukudukka, near Payyannur, on Sunday, November 16.
Aneesh was one of over 25,000 BLOs in the state responsible for distributing and collecting SIR enumeration forms. The SIR exercise began in Kerala on 4 November. Earlier, while speaking to TNM, several BLOs across the state had raised concerns about the workload and an unofficial deadline imposed by their superiors, despite the official deadline being 4 December.
In protest against Aneesh’s death, BLOs in Kerala will boycott work on Monday, 17 November. The strike is being organised under the leadership of the Action Council of State Government Employees and Teachers, and the Action Council representing service organisations of teachers. According to reports, they will also hold protest marches to the office of the CEO and the offices of Returning Officers in all districts.
Speaking to the media, Aneesh’s father, George, said his son had been under considerable stress to complete the assigned tasks. “He was under stress for the past few days because of the SIR work. But we never expected his tensions would lead to this. No individual or society is responsible for this. He was not used to hard labour. From what I understand, he found it difficult to locate people in vast areas to distribute the forms, and that led to this,” he said. Aneesh is survived by his wife and three children.
Following Aneesh’s death, the Peringome police registered a case under Section 194 (unnatural death) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). According to the police, no suicide note has been recovered.
Meanwhile, Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ratan U Kelkar told the media that he had not received any complaints regarding work pressure from BLOs. “To support BLOs on the ground, senior officers, collectors, and I also went at times. But no one raised any complaints. They have no additional work for 31 days apart from this,” he said, adding that he had sought a report from the Kannur District Collector.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.
