Ragesh Accuses Satheesan of Aiding BJP by Ignoring BLO Aneesh George’s Family Statements

Kannur: CPI(M) district secretary K.K. Ragesh has said that Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan is unwilling to believe even the statements made by the father and family of BLO Aneesh George, who died by suicide, and that his actions are intended to help the BJP.

“The father of the deceased told the media how his son worked late into the night and was under severe stress. But Satheesan is determined to blame the CPI(M) at any cost. Even after it was clearly said that the target of the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) was Rahul Gandhi himself, that is not what the Opposition Leader cares about. Satheesan is echoing the views of the RSS. This move is meant to help the BJP. Employees are under immense pressure due to excessive workload in a short period. Suicides are happening in many parts of the country. A district collector cannot submit a different report — there are many natural limitations for a collector,” Ragesh told the media.

Aneesh George, who was the BLO of Booth 18 in Ettukudukka, Kankol-Alappadamba panchayat in Kannur, was found hanging at his home on Sunday morning. Local Congress worker Vaishakh had submitted a complaint to the Collector accusing Aneesh of refusing to accompany him for the distribution of voter forms. This had reportedly caused severe stress to Aneesh.

Aneesh, who was an office attendant at Kunnaru AUP School, had confided to his family that he could no longer handle the pressure of distributing, collecting, and filling out forms. He had submitted three applications requesting exemption from these duties due to work pressure. His father said Aneesh had been working on form-related tasks until 1:30 a.m. on Saturday night.

In another incident, a booth-level officer in Rajasthan died by suicide on Monday after leaving a note stating that he was under extreme work pressure as part of the intense voter list revision. He jumped in front of a train before a BLO training session. The incident took place on Sunday in Bindayka, Jaipur. The deceased was Mukesh Jangid (45), a schoolteacher. His relatives alleged that he was under severe pressure related to the SIR and that his supervisor had threatened him with suspension.