Female BLO alleges abuse during SIR exercise; police arrest four
Four persons have been arrested for allegedly abusing and obstructing a booth-level officer (BLO) while she was conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Delhi’s Chandni Mahal area earlier this month, police said on Thursday.
According to police, the incident took place on July 5 at Fatak Telian in the Chandni Mahal area when the complainant, a postgraduate teacher (special education) deployed as a BLO, was conducting SIR-related work.
In her complaint, the teacher alleged that one of the accused placed the BLO register on her lap and signed it despite her objection. She further alleged that several persons present at the spot abused her, refused to accept SIR forms and behaved in a manner that humiliated her and prevented her from carrying out her official duties.
The matter came to the notice of the police on July 15 after the complainant approached the Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Old Delhi. Police said the complainant informed them that the delay in reporting the incident was due to consultations with her senior officers regarding the appropriate course of action.
“On the complaint of a PGT (special education teacher) and Booth Level Officer (BLO), a case has been registered at the Chandni Mahal Police Station regarding an incident that allegedly occurred on July 5 during the SIR exercise at Fatak Telian. After verification of the complaint and examination of the available material, a prima facie case was found to be made out. Accordingly, an FIR was registered, and all the accused persons named in the complaint have been arrested in accordance with the law,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said.
An FIR has been registered under Sections 221 (obstructing a public servant), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant), 79, 74 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Sabreen (44), Ateeq ur Rehman (58), Mohammad Asif (50) and Mohammad Aftab (44), all residents of the Turkman Gate area.
The arrests come amid growing concerns over the working conditions of officials engaged in the SIR exercise. Previously, The Pioneer had reported on the strenuous and prolonged work hours being put in by booth-level officers (BLOs) deployed for the SIR drive, with many flagging the demanding nature of the assignment. Police said further investigation is underway.
