Bhubaneswar, 4th Oct 2025: Primary school teachers have been appointed as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for election-related duties. As part of this, they are engaged in various voter-related activities. Currently, the Special Intensive Revision (SIA) of the electoral roll is underway in the state.
However, in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’s North Zone, teachers were assigned SIA duties during the Puja holidays, sparking strong opposition from the teaching staff. In protest, teachers staged a sit-in demonstration today at Chandrasekharpur Phase-2 High School. Following discussions with BMC officials and the Sub-Collector, the protest was eventually called off.
According to the protesting teachers, tasks like updating voter lists, Aadhaar cards, and ration cards have started as part of the pre-SIA work, for which teachers have been deployed as Designated Officers (DOs). However, schools closed for Puja holidays from September 27, and many teachers had returned home to celebrate the festival. Despite this, BMC officials allegedly coerced teachers with threats of disciplinary action if they refused to comply.
“Last night, we were forced to work until midnight, and today again, we were called to school early in the morning to continue the duties,” said protesting teachers. “We are not refusing to work, but the SIA duties should be assigned after the Puja holidays. No one is considering our situation, and instead, we are being threatened with action from the District Collector if we deny election work,” they added.
Notably, over 200 teachers at Chandrasekharpur Phase-2 High School raised this grievance and staged a protest. After intervention from senior BMC officials and the Sub-Collector, who assured them through discussions, the teachers decided to withdraw the protest.