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K’taka SIR supervisor’s death in accident sparks stir, work pressure alleged
The death of a 26-year-old village administrative officer engaged in Karnataka’s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls set off overnight protests by revenue department employees, who alleged that officials assigned to the exercise were working under excessive administrative pressure
The death of a 26-year-old village administrative officer engaged in Karnataka’s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls set off overnight protests by revenue department employees, who alleged that officials assigned to the exercise were working under excessive administrative pressure.
Bhuvana, a village administrative officer and supervisor for booth level officers (BLOs), died on Saturday after a truck struck her scooter on Kunigal Road near Guluru in Tumakuru district, according to officials. A resident of Varadanayakanahalli village in Bengaluru Rural district’s Nelamangala taluk, she sustained severe head injuries and later died at Siddaganga Hospital, officials said.
Her death drew revenue department employees to the Tumakuru deputy commissioner’s office, where they staged a protest that continued late into Saturday night. Demonstrators demanded the transfer of district collector Shubha Kalyan and accused senior officials of placing unreasonable demands on staff engaged in the SIR exercise.
Bhuvana’s uncle, Ramesh, said she had attended an SIR review meeting at the deputy commissioner’s office on Friday before returning home at about 10 pm. The following morning, she left at around 6.30 am to resume field work when the collision occurred.
“She was under pressure. She said she would quit her job. In fact, we were planning to arrange her marriage. There are no fixed working hours. They were made to work without considering their personal life. There were too many responsibilities on a single person,” Ramesh said.
The Karnataka State Village Administrative Officers Association linked the accident to what it described as intense work demands associated with the electoral revision programme.
General secretary Shivanand Nayak said Bhuvana had been travelling from Bengaluru to Tumakuru early in the morning to carry out SIR duties. “We have been protesting here since yesterday. VAO Bhuvana, who was working in Tumakuru district, was coming from Bengaluru at 6 am for SIR work under pressure from the DC, Tehsildar and AC. While travelling on her two wheeler at such an early hour to get to work, she was hit by an unknown vehicle. She passed away in the hospital,” Nayak said.
The incident came as another death involving an official assigned to the same electoral revision exercise was reported from Bidar district.
According to people familiar with the matter, Sunil, a 45-year-old teacher from Bhalki town who was deployed for SIR duty, suffered a heart attack. He reportedly collapsed at work on Thursday and was taken to the Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences, where family members said doctors informed them that he had experienced a heart attack. He died on Friday.
Congress leader FH Jakkappanavar referred to Bhuvana’s death while questioning the necessity of the SIR exercise, describing the programme as unnecessary.
“RSS, BJP imposed SIR in Karnataka. It was not required at all. Bhuvana, a development officer, met with an accident while going on duty, and she died. I request all the BLOs; it is a duty imposed by the central government Election Commission of India. We are with the family of Bhuvan, and the government should provide compensation to the family,” Jakkappanavar said.
