Akhilesh Yadav Blames Government Pressure for SIR Tragedy: “EC Has Blood on Its Hands… Who Will Protect Its Own Employees?”

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday intensified his attack on the government and the Election Commission, alleging that excessive pressure linked to the Summary Identification Revision (SIR) process has already cost lives. His remarks came after he visited the family of a supervisor in Fatehpur who reportedly died by suicide while carrying out SIR-related duties.

Speaking to the media after meeting the grieving family, Yadav said the relatives were clear and categorical about the circumstances that led to the tragedy. “When I went to Fatehpur to meet the family of the supervisor, I was told he was under tremendous pressure from the government to complete the process quickly. As a result, he committed suicide,” he claimed.

Yadav questioned the urgency with which the SIR process is being implemented and accused the authorities of ignoring the mental and physical burden on ground-level staff. “What is the hurry?” he asked, reiterating that the verification exercise must not come at the cost of human lives.

The SP chief also referred to the ongoing political uproar in West Bengal, where opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of mismanaging the SIR rollout. “People of West Bengal are also saying that the hands of the Election Commission are smeared with blood,” Yadav asserted, adding that similar complaints are emerging from several states.

Raising serious concerns about worker safety, Yadav demanded immediate intervention from the Election Commission and the central government. “Who is going to help the Election Commission employees who are dying during the SIR process? The Election Commission should come forward and help,” he said.