Gujarat Teacher's Body Found, Family Claims Exhaustion from Electoral Roll Revision Duties
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A school teacher in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district has been found dead at his residence, sparking concerns about the impact of electoral roll revision duties on teachers. According to a note allegedly left behind, the teacher felt overwhelmed by the workload, was depressed, and could no longer continue. His family claims he had been struggling with sleepless nights and mounting pressure to meet daily targets for voter list verification and data entry. The teacher was handling regular class work and responsibilities related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Gir Somnath police superintendent Jaydeepsinh Jadeja has confirmed that an investigation is underway, but declined to comment on the authenticity of the note or its contents. This incident comes amidst allegations that thousands of teachers have been forced to take on electoral duties as Booth Level Officers (BLOs), with primary teachers making up nearly 99% of those deployed for the complex SIR exercise. Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi has criticized the practice, saying it is ruining education for poor and marginalized children, as schools are left with insufficient staff to teach. Doshi also pointed out that BLOs face impossible deadlines due to slow form upload portals, resulting in both electoral work and children's learning suffering. This week, another school teacher died of a heart attack in Kheda district's Kapadvanj taluka, with his family blaming excessive workload from SIR duties for the death.
