SIR campaign West Bengal: The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and sought its response on a petition seeking security of BLO (Booth Level Officer) deployed on counting duty during the ongoing Special Intensive Review (SIR) campaign in the state of West Bengal. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that the BLOs at the ground level were working under ‘stress and pressure’ due to excessive work pressure in the SIR campaign.
Justice Bagchi said during the hearing in the Supreme Court, “This is not a desk job. They go to every house, do the verification, then the enumeration is handed over to them (BLOs) and then they upload it. They go door-to-door, complete the enumeration process and then upload it. This is the pressure they are grappling with. This is stress and pressure. We are not paying attention to political narratives. We want to ensure that the SIR at the ground level is done without any hassle.”
BLO security a serious issue
Chief Justice Surya Kant also remarked that it is a serious issue if security is not provided to BLOs. The Election Commission needs to pay attention to this.