Kerala BLO removed for inappropriately exposing himself during SIR process

In a disturbing incident in Tavanur, Kerala, a Booth Level Officer was dismissed after exposing himself during voter verification.

A Booth Level Officer (BLO) assigned to update the electoral roll in Tavanur mandal, located in north Kerala, has been taken off duty after an inappropriate incident in which he exposed himself while completing voter verification work.

The incident, captured on video, has sparked outrage and prompted a change in the official responsible for the electoral roll update.

A district administration representative confirmed on Tuesday that a show-cause notice had been served to the official, according to a report by news agency PTI.

Although the incident took place last week, it only became widely known after video clips of the episode were broadcast on television.

According to officials, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) was informed of the matter on November 23. Following this, District Collector V R Vinod relieved the BLO of his responsibilities on Monday, said the report.

The task of finishing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has now been assigned to a different BLO, the official added.

TV footage shows the officer abruptly getting up and lifting his mundu (dhoti) in front of the person recording him. At the time, he was surrounded by several people, including women, while filling out voter enumeration forms. In this regard, an official said, “Another BLO has been handed over the responsibility of completing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) work.”

The SIR exercise has become a flashpoint, with opposition parties voicing strong objections following widespread disruptions, including numerous reports of BLOs collapsing during duty and at least three officials dying since the enumeration began on November 4. Officials have confirmed that two of the fatalities were suicides, while the third happened under what they described as “unnatural circumstances.”

(With inputs from PTI)