In a strongly-worded letter to the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state "dangerous". Banerjee's letter comes in the backdrop of the alleged suicide of a Booth-Level Officer owing to work pressure.
The Trinamool Congress leader alleged the SIR is being conducted in an "unplanned and coercive manner, putting citizens and officials at risk".
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee writes to CEC Gyanesh Kumar - "...I am compelled to write to you as the situation surrounding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has reached a deeply alarming stage. The manner in which this exercise is being forced upon officials and… pic.twitter.com/n02aQ24eS3
— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2025
Saying the special revision exercise has reached an "alarming" and "dangerous" stage, Banerjee said, though she had flagged "serious concerns" earlier as well, the exercise has currently reached an "alarming stage".
"The manner in which this exercise is being forced upon officials and citizens is not only unplanned and chaotic, but also dangerous," she said. "The absence of even basic preparedness, adequate planning or clear communication has crippled the process from day one," she said. Banerjee charged that the BLOs have not been provided adequate training, support and time required for undertaking a mammoth exercise of this nature.
Banerjee said the entire SIR exercise has become structurally unsound and "BLOs are now operating far beyond human limits". The chief minister noted that at the current pace, BLOs wouldn't be able to complete the exercise by December 4, forcing them to file incorrect forms. Banerjee charged that the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, instead of offering support to officers, is threatening them with punitive action.
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"Yesterday, an anganwadi worker serving as a BLO in Mal, Jalpaiguri, died by suicide, reportedly under crushing SIR-related pressure. Several others have lost their lives since this process began. A revision that previously required three years is now being forcibly compressed into three months, subjecting BLOs and officials to inhuman working conditions and forcing common people under the shadow of fear and uncertainty," she charged.
"Under these circumstances, I strongly urge and expect immediate corrective action," Banerjee added. "Continuing this unplanned, coercive drive not only endangers more lives but also jeopardises the legitimacy of the electoral revision itself," she said. |
