Overview
- The Governor, via Lok Bhavan, urged the state to direct district administrations to ensure booth-level security for Booth Level Officers during door-to-door work.
- He called for police personnel to accompany BLOs on enumeration rounds and asked the government to provide basic facilities to help them perform their duties.
- A Supreme Court bench led by CJI Surya Kant warned that the Election Commission must flag threats to BLOs or risk 'anarchy,' pressing states to cooperate with the SIR exercise.
- Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi said the EC may seek police assistance if obstructions worsen, while Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted the EC cannot control police until the formal election process begins.
- A section of BLOs protested in Kolkata over workload, deadline policies, and lack of compensation, as reports in Bengal cite around 39 deaths, including three BLOs, linked to SIR-related stress since the November 4 start.