Overview
- At Kolkata’s CEO office, the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee escalated a weeks-long sit-in by bringing 57-year-old Debashish Das in an ambulance after his stroke, with his family blaming SIR pressure and seeking Rs 15 lakh.
- Das was discharged from SSKM Hospital the same day and, according to relatives, has paralysis and struggled with smartphone-driven tasks tied to SIR duties.
- The Supreme Court directed states to ensure security for booth-level officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision and warned it would act against threats or obstruction.
- During the hearing, the bench questioned evidence for claims of widespread intimidation in West Bengal, noting that only a solitary FIR had been presented.
- The Election Commission said it had written to the West Bengal government on protection, cited a 1,200-voter-in-37-days workload for BLOs, and the state announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for 39 reported deaths and Rs 1 lakh for some hospitalisations.