An organisation representing booth-level officers involved in West Bengal’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process is set to stage a march in Kolkata on Monday, protesting what it describes as excessive workload and “systemic lapses” in the exercise.
According to a functionary of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee, members plan to submit a representation to the Election Commission during the demonstration.
The committee alleged that ever since the SIR of electoral rolls began, BLOs across various districts have been operating “under unprecedented and inhuman pressure”.
The planned march will start from College Square in north Kolkata and proceed to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in central Kolkata, seeking urgent intervention and corrective action from the Election Commission, the committee said.
The organisation further claimed that para-teachers, college professors and educators from several institutions are expected to join the rally in solidarity.
“We have been asked to complete tasks within a short period of time, but such works usually take more than two years,” the functionary said.
The door-to-door enumeration for the SIR, which began on November 4, is scheduled to continue until December 4, with the draft electoral rolls due for publication on December 9.
Another member of the committee alleged that the “stress has led to multiple cases of illness, and at least two BLOs died by suicide”.
The committee warned that if the Election Commission does not extend the deadlines or address the concerns raised by BLOs, they will initiate a continuous protest movement.
Separately, the BLO Oikya Mancha has also raised concerns over the digitisation of enumeration forms and has sought additional support staff.