A Booth Level Officer (BLO) was assaulted in Raipur’s Kali Mata ward, NDTV reported on Sunday.
A video of the incident that reportedly went viral on the web has sparked a debate over the safety of field staff engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The incident took place on Saturday. The footage that went viral reportedly showed a woman shouting abuses at the BLO before striking her.
She also hit a man who attempted to intervene. The clash is believed to have started after the woman insisted that the SIR verification form be delivered to her residence and reacted aggressively when it did not arrive on time.
No police complaint has been filed yet. The episode comes amid a massive state-wide revision effort.
According to the Election Commission of India, Chhattisgarh has 2,10,68,201 printed counting forms, of which 99.61% have already been distributed. In total, 1.7738 crore forms (83.55%) have been handed out so far, underscoring the workload and stress on BLOs.
In a related development, former CPI MLA from Konta, Manish Kunjam, has approached the Supreme Court, warning that many tribal voters in Bastar may be excluded from the rolls.
Kunjam, who also convenes the Bastariya Raj Morcha, has argued that the SIR procedure is especially difficult for vulnerable tribal communities in the region.
This is the second such incident reported from Raipur recently. Earlier, a BLO in Mahant Laxmi Narayan ward accused a BJP councillor of intimidating her during the verification process. Officials say confrontations and pressure on ground personnel are rising as the time-bound revision continues.
This news has come amid the news of deaths of several BLOs in various parts of India, several of which have been attributed to the immense pressure that the SIR drive has put on the officials. Families of several BLOs have alleged that they have been under a lot of stress.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
