BLOs protest outside CEO office in Kolkata over work pressure during SIR exercise

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Around 400 demonstrators, belonging to TMC-leaning BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee, on Monday staged a demonstration before the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) protesting the work pressure and stress on the booth-level officers in West Bengal during SIR exercise and scuffled with police.

The protestors tried to climb atop the police barricades and move towards the CEO office's main gate as a strong contingent stood guard.

The demonstrators wanted to voice their grievances to CEO Manoj Agarwal about the "inhuman work stress on the BLOs and frequent changes in the guidelines." Police personnel prevented the demonstrators from advancing, leading to a scuffle amid slogan shouting. Some protesters were detained by police.

A police officer was injured while trying to control the crowd, while the protesters alleged that one female demonstrator was assaulted by police.

Swapna Mondal, one of the protesters, alleged that the Election Commission was frequently issuing new rules and guidelines, adding to the workload of BLOs.

"Every day new rules and guidelines are being issued. We worked overnight to complete digitisation of enumeration forms. Now new regulations regarding Form 6 and Form 7 annexures are being introduced," Mondal claimed.

"We have to take classes as next year's exam schedule cannot be altered. Our school management has not given us any relaxation for the SIR exercise. Why can't the EC employ their own staff?" she asked.

Mondal also objected to a new guideline in the BLO app, which requires BLOs to submit a written undertaking to the CEO, alleging that it shifts responsibility for any discrepancies onto the BLOs.

"We are being assigned new responsibilities every day, and we are being told that any error will leave a blot on our careers," she said.

Subrata Das, a state government employee, said they came to participate in the demonstration in solidarity with the BLOs, four of whom had died and many had fallen ill during the exercise.