Protest Erupts Over Rising BLO Deaths Amidst Electoral Roll Revision in West Bengal

A group of booth-level officers protested in front of the West Bengal CEO's office against the Election Commission's indifference to BLOs' deaths during the electoral roll revision. Facing severe stress and health issues, they demanded intervention, workload rationalization, and compensation for affected officers.

Amid growing unrest, a group of booth-level officers staged a protest outside the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office, expressing dissatisfaction with the Election Commission's (EC) response to recent BLO fatalities linked to the special summary revision (SSR) of electoral rolls.

The BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee claims members are enduring severe mental and physical strain due to intense workload demands. Stress from tight deadlines, comprehensive field verification, and data scrutiny is reportedly causing significant health issues and, in some instances, death.

Protesters criticized the EC for not announcing compensation for affected BLOs. They highlighted the state government's provision of compensation during election duties and demanded similar measures from the EC, alongside workload management and compensation policies for those involved in the SSR process.

(With inputs from agencies.)