West Bengal Booth Level Officers Protest With Ambulance After Colleague Suffers Brain Stroke During Electoral Duties

Protestors arrived with a 57-year-old Booth Level Officer in an ambulance at the Chief Electoral Officer's headquarters to demonstrate their concerns.

Kolkata:

On Tuesday, the West Bengal Booth Level Officers association organized a demonstration outside the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office in Kolkata. The protestors brought along a BLO in an ambulance, asserting that he had experienced a severe brain stroke due to excessive stress while performing Special Intensive Revision duties.

Debashish Das, who serves as a BLO for Booth 276 in Frasergaunge Gram Panchayat within South 24 Parganas district, reportedly collapsed last week following a sudden increase in workload during the ongoing electoral revision process.

The demonstrators transported the ailing 57-year-old BLO via ambulance to the CEO's office, claiming that the Election Commission has not provided "a single rupee" in compensation thus far.

Representatives from the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee stated that they are experiencing "tremendous pressure" to fulfill deadlines for the current Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

"We are demanding appropriate compensation for Debashish Das and immediate alleviation from the unbearable workload imposed on BLOs," explained a committee member.

They referenced situations where the state government had previously provided compensation to polling personnel who died or sustained injuries while performing their duties, arguing that similar support should be extended to BLOs who fall ill during work assigned by the Election Commission.

"The state government offers ex-gratia payments for election-duty casualties. Why is the Election Commission refusing to provide basic compensation to BLOs who suffer health complications while carrying out mandatory responsibilities?" the protestors inquired.