BLO deaths in UP and Rajasthan cast shadow on SIR exercise

In this Special Report, the focus is on the severe pressure faced by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The programme highlights the alleged suicides of BLOs Sarvesh Singh in Uttar Pradesh and Sudhir Kumar Kauri, as well as the death of Anuj Garg in Rajasthan due to cardiac arrest. A suicide note left by Sarvesh Singh is quoted: 'I have been working day and night, yet I am unable to achieve SIL targets.' The report notes that over 30 BLOs have died in the last month, prompting the Election Commission to extend the deadline for the exercise by one week. Families of the victims blame the unmanageable workload, with one BLO reportedly handling over 1,000 forms without support. The segment questions if the deadline extension is sufficient to address the human cost of the exercise.