Tue Dec 02 04:13:27 UTC 2025: News Article:

Uttar Pradesh Congress Alleges ‘Institutional Murder’ Over BLO Deaths Amid Voter Roll Revision

Lucknow, India – December 2, 2025 – The Uttar Pradesh (UP) unit of the Indian National Congress is accusing the state government of “institutional murder” and “slaughter of democracy” following the deaths of multiple Booth Level Officers (BLOs) involved in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.

The Congress party alleges that extreme work pressure related to the SIR is directly responsible for the deaths. They claim the SIR process is a “farce” designed to disenfranchise marginalized communities, particularly those from OBC and Dalit backgrounds, and that government employees involved are bearing the brunt of the alleged manipulation.

The allegations follow the deaths of two BLOs in the past week. Vipin Yadav, an assistant teacher and BLO in Gonda district, was found dead on November 25th. His family claims he was under intense pressure to remove names of a specific caste group from the voter rolls. Sarvesh Kumar Gangwar, a primary teacher and BLO from Bareilly, died on November 26th after collapsing while on duty. His family also cited the “immense pressure” of the SIR work as the cause of his death.

A team from the UP Congress, led by President Ajay Rai, visited Gangwar’s family in Bareilly. Rai stated, “This extreme pressure of SIR’s work and the resulting death raises serious questions about the functioning of the government.” He assured the family of all possible support.

Senior UP Congress leader Anil Yadav echoed Rai’s sentiments, stating, “Any death due to SIR exercise is institutional murder and failure of democratic ideas. In U.P., we witness BLOs dying due to extreme pressure; similar incidents are being reported from West Bengal and other parts of the country.”

The Congress party is demanding a thorough investigation into the deaths and the SIR process, alleging that it is a politically motivated effort to suppress voter turnout among marginalized communities.

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