6 Deaths in 10 Days: The Human Cost of Madhya Pradesh's Voter Revision Exercise

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Madhya Pradesh began on November 4 across all 230 assembly constituencies. (Representational)

Madhya Pradesh's ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercise has taken a tragic turn with six Booth Level Officers (BLOs) dying within just 10 days, including two in the past week. The month-long digitization initiative targets processing voter forms for 5.74 crore electors across the state.

Authorities have deployed 65,014 BLOs statewide, with 2,029 serving in Bhopal alone. However, with only 37% of SIR forms uploaded and 63% still pending despite less than two weeks remaining, the situation has grown increasingly dire.

The mounting backlog has created significant stress among field workers, who face strict deadlines, technical challenges with servers, and consistent pressure from supervisors.

The deceased officers include a 54-year-old BLO from Shahdol who collapsed moments after receiving a call about pending targets, an Assistant Teacher from Narmadapuram who died after being struck by a train while returning from duty, and BLO Ramakant Pandey from Mandideep who suffered a fatal heart attack following an online SIR meeting.

Additional casualties include Bhuvan Singh Chauhan from Jhabua, who reportedly died from cardiac arrest after being suspended for alleged negligence, Sitaram Gond from Damoh who fell critically ill during duty and died while under treatment, and 50-year-old Anganwadi worker Anita Nageshwar from Balaghat whose family attributes her death to extreme work pressure.

Beyond these fatalities, numerous other BLOs have been hospitalized across the state with serious medical conditions including heart attacks and brain hemorrhages. Colleagues and family members consistently cite overwhelming workloads, extended hours, and fear of disciplinary action as contributing factors.

In Bhopal, BLO Kirti Kaushal experienced a heart attack while on duty, while another officer, Mohammad Laiq, collapsed after experiencing chest pain. In Rewa, Assistant Teacher and BLO Vijay Pandey suffered a brain hemorrhage after working through illness, with family members alleging continued pressure from his nodal officer despite his deteriorating health.

In Bhind, teacher and BLO Ravindra Shakya, who has a pre-existing heart condition, suffered an attack after reportedly being forced to work 14-hour days under threat of suspension.

The Madhya Pradesh Third Class Employees Union has formally requested the Chief Election Commissioner to provide Rs 15 lakh compensation to families of deceased BLOs, equivalent to benefits provided during regular polling duty under 2019 guidelines. The union is also seeking free medical treatment for BLOs who become ill or injured during the SIR assignment.

In their appeal, the union emphasized that SIR constitutes "crucial election-related work" conducted over an entire month rather than a brief polling event, arguing it deserves comparable protections and insurance coverage.

Union General Secretary Umashankar Tiwari warned that personnel assigned to the SIR exercise face "immense stress" due to unrealistic targets, technical failures, and pressure-driven supervision methods.

"BLOs are working extremely long hours, many despite serious health conditions. People are falling ill and dying. We need immediate intervention," Tiwari stated.