Aneesh George, a 38-year-old school employee who had been working late into the night while serving as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) for the upcoming local body polls, was found hanging in his home in Payyannur, Kannur district, on Sunday morning.

Police have registered a case of unnatural death.

Family members and residents of the neighbourhood say the pressure of election-related responsibilities pushed him to the edge.

According to the FIR, he had been under stress in connection with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

George, a peon at a government school, was found hanging in the hall on the first floor of his house. His relatives say the deadlines and workload had become overwhelming.

Shyam, a person close to the family, told reporters, "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."

Political parties in Kerala have been raising concerns over the SIR exercise for weeks. Both the CPI(M) and the Congress have been urging the Election Commission to reconsider the timing.

CPI(M) leader M.V. Jayarajan said the party had already alerted officials about the strain on BLOs.

"Due to the extreme workload, he might have felt that there was no option other than ending his own life. His death was extremely unfortune," he said, calling for the SIR process to be paused until after the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) elections.

Congress leader Rijil Makkutty alleged that the Election Commission was pushing the SIR to suit political interests.

Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar said a report has been sought from the Kannur district collector. He maintained that the BLO assignment is the only designated work for them during the 31-day period.

"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 said.

He added that the findings of the investigation and the collector’s report would clarify the circumstances of George’s death.

"The BLOs need not to do any job other than the one in connection with the SIR for 31 days and normally there is no chance of any work pressure," he said.

George’s death comes days after another BLO died in West Bengal’s East Burdwan district.

On November 9, 50-year-old Namita Hansda, a booth-level officer in Chak Balarampur gram panchayat, collapsed while distributing enumeration forms. She died later that night.

Her husband, Madhab Hansda, recounted the final moments. “When I arrived there, she was unconscious. I immediately took her to the Kalna sub-divisional hospital, where she died around 11pm. The doctors said it was a brain stroke,” he said.