Modi govt, EC has blood on its hands, SIR a death trap for BLOs: Congress
New Delhi (PTI): After claiming deaths of over 25 booth-level officers (BLOs) due to SIR-related work stress, the Congress on Friday accused the Election Commission and the Modi government of having blood on their hands as they are dying under threats and coercion.
Congress senior spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi claimed that the officials are forced to delete OBC votes and work for 18 hours, alleging that the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is nothing but 'vote chori' by design.
"The so-called Special Intensive Revision has turned into a Special Institutionalised rejig unknown to law. BLOs are dying under inhuman targets, threats, and coercion. Suicides in Gir, Fatehpur, and Gonda expose the rot.
"When officials are forced to delete OBC voters and work 18 hours a day, it is no revision; it is vote chori by design. The Modi Government and ECI now have blood on their hands," Singhvi said in a post on X.
The so-called Special Intensive Revision has turned into a Special Institutionalised rejig unknown to law .
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) November 28, 2025
BLOs are dying under inhuman targets, threats & coercion. Suicides in Gir, Fatehpur and Gonda expose the rot.
When officials are forced to delete OBC voters & work 18…
His party colleague and spokesperson, Supriya Shrinate, shared a video of the remarks of a BLO who died by committing suicide.
"Gyanesh Ji, the wife of deceased BLO Vijay Verma from UP is saying .... 'The BLO job has taken my husband's life. How will we run the household, how will we educate our son?'. The son is saying 'SDM says if the feeding of 200 papers hasn't been done, there will be an FIR'.
"SIR's deadline has turned into a deathline," she alleged in a post on X.
ज्ञानेश जी,
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) November 28, 2025
यूपी के मृत BLO विजय वर्मा की पत्नी कह रही हैं
“BLO की नौकरी ने मेरे पति की जान ले ली. हम घर कैसे चलायेंगे, बेटे को कैसे पढ़ायेंगे?”
बेटा कहा रहा “SDM कहते हैं 200 पेपर की फीडिंग नहीं हुई तो FIR होगी"
SIR की deadline तो deathline बन गई है pic.twitter.com/PJvGWeDKwX
The Congress also posted on X that the SIR is a death trap for BLOs.
"The Modi government's latest tool for nationwide vote chori—the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)—has become a nightmare for BLOs and electoral officials, to the point that they are paying with their lives one after the other across the states.
"Each day, India is witnessing the deaths of officials deployed on SIR duty. Many have taken the ultimate decision to take their own lives, while others have suffered serious ailments, including heart attacks, that have resulted in their deaths," the party said.
The Congress claimed that in Gujarat's Gir, BLO Arvind Vadher killed himself after citing an inability to cope with the extreme SIR workload.
In Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur, Sudhir Kumar, an SIR supervisor, killed himself by hanging after he was threatened with suspension for not attending an official meeting, the party said.
"Shockingly, another BLO from UP has revealed the Modi government's sinister plans of vote chori. Gonda's BLO and Assistant Teacher Vipin Yadav consumed poison after being coerced by the administration to delete the names of OBC voters and threatened if he failed to comply.
"And these are just a few names from the list of over 25 victims of SIR. BLOs across the states have written to the EC, revealing that “unrealistic targets, 16–18 hour workdays, intimidation and constant threats of suspension” are taking a toll on the mental and physical health of officials," the Congress said.
The opposition party claimed that the repeated and consistent pleas from officials, unions, and their families are falling on deaf ears as the deadly SIR continues hurriedly and ruthlessly under a skewed deadline, "ostensibly to carry out an 'effective' nationwide vote chori."
"This is no revision; this is Special Intrusive Rigging. Because Modi knows that he can't taste electoral victories without a manipulated mandate.
"But enough is enough! How many more lives will be claimed to enable Modi's illegitimate rule? How many more innocents will pay the price for one man's greed for power? Modi and the Election Commission have blood on their hands," the party said on X.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Junior Hockey World Cup: IndiGo crisis disrupts travel plans of players' families, fans
Chennai (PTI): For Kate, the dream was simple -- to watch her son Fahy Noah play for the Australian team in the Junior Hockey World Cup here and visit the Taj Mahal.
But her plans, like those of many others, have been upended by the operational crisis that has hit IndiGo, India's largest domestic airline.
"I am here for the first time and India is so kind and welcoming. We were hoping to see the Taj Mahal, but with the IndiGo problems, we are a bit scared now," Kate, who has come from Brisbane, told PTI outside the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here.
"One family went on a rest day and got stuck overnight. I think we will have to cancel all our travel plans now, though seeing the Taj Mahal was on my bucket list for long," she said.
ALSO READ: IndiGo fight disruptions: Opposition demands statement from government
This is the first time that 24 teams are participating in the Junior Hockey World Cup, being held in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. For most players and their families, it is their maiden trip to India. Many NRIs have also flown in to support the Indian team.
However, the widespread flight delays and cancellations have thrown schedules into chaos. IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights last week, citing regulatory changes in the pilots' flight duty and regulations norms. This resulted in lakhs of passengers getting stuck at airports across the country.
Laura, who has come from Belgium with her entire family to support her son, said they are now travelling by road.
"We are happy to be here in this beautiful country. We went to Munnar and Madurai, and now we are planning to go to Puducherry and Mahabalipuram by road," she said.
"We had taken IndiGo flights earlier, but some other families who travelled on different days got stuck and somehow managed to come back by train. So we are not flying anywhere in India now. Road travel only and then back to Brussels next week," she said.
For 87-year-old Kenyan hockey legend Avtar Singh Sohal, a four-time Olympian and a lifelong supporter of Indian hockey, the crisis was particularly distressing. He spent 12 gruelling hours at the Chandigarh airport on December 4 before finally reaching Chennai just in time for the quarterfinals.
"Our IndiGo flight was delayed by 12 hours. We were at the airport from 7 am to 7 pm. They kept giving excuses -- the aircraft has not arrived, the pilot is not available. We had no idea what was actually happening," he said.
Accompanying Sohal was 85-year-old Tarlok Singh Mandair, a former treasurer of the English Hockey Association, who had flown in from London.
"It was a horrible experience. They kept changing the timings from 12 noon to 4 pm and we finally took off at 7:20 pm. They gave us sandwiches which were not even good," Mandair recalled.
"Our return flight is also on IndiGo, but now we are exploring other options," he said.
Jujhar Singh Plaha, 86, from London, who was on the same flight, said his excitement has turned into anxiety.
"We were so excited about this trip; hockey is our first love. But this (IndiGo crisis) spoiled our mood. Now we are worried about returning because at our age, we cannot travel long distances by train or road," he said.
Jason, the father of Australian player Roger Lachlan, has had an eventful trip to India so far -- beginning with the rain in Chennai triggered by Cyclone Ditwah.
"We are from Hobart -- home of Ricky Ponting and David Boon. We arrived after a cyclone, which caused heavy rain. Now the sun is out and we are enjoying ourselves," he said with a smile.
Jason, too, has shelved all further travel plans.
"No sightseeing now. We will just eat, swim and head back. I am loving masala dosa, masala tea and curries," he said.
Some fans from Bengaluru, who had booked their flight tickets months in advance, decided not to take a risk. They opted for refunds and drove down to Chennai on Sunday to catch the semifinal.
"With flight uncertainty and trains full, we drove down. We did not want to miss India in the semis," said Vinod Chinnappa, who drove for six hours to come here.
Even officials have not been spared by the flight disruptions.
Digvijay Singh, an official of the Hockey India League franchise, waited eight hours at the Patna airport to catch a flight to Chennai.
"I did not want to miss the India-Belgium quarterfinal, so I waited. I finished all episodes of (web series) Family Man at the lounge," he said.
"I had gone to Patna from Delhi for a meeting earlier in the day and then needed to connect to Chennai," Singh said.
With the World Cup set to wrap up in two days, uncertainty about people's plans to return home looms large.
With prices of alternative flights rising and train seats nearly impossible to find, fans, officials, families and journalists are monitoring travel apps as closely as match updates.
If the situation does not improve soon, returning home could be as challenging as winning matches on the field.
