After two state level teachers’ associations, another workers’ association in Uttar Pradesh — State Employee’s Joint Council, which represents about 100 state government departments — has claimed at least 518 of its workers died of COVID following the poll duty in the recently held panchayat elections in the state. This list, says the association, is still not final and is being updated.
In a letter dated May 23 to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Hari Kishor Tiwari, president of the State Employee’s Joint Council, and Shiv Baran Singh Yadav, general secretary, have provided details of the 518 workers who have allegedly succumbed to the coronavirus following poll duty and elections’ training.
“The state employee’s council constitutes 100 departments. Information of more than half of the departments has been received, in which 518 deaths have been calculated. Another list will be prepared with whatever information is left. At least a 1,000 workers have died,” reads the letter, a copy of which is with Gaon Connection.
The data provided by the association shows, the maximum number of deaths have been recorded in the state capital, Lucknow at 76, followed by Meerut (49), Kanpur (43), Prayagraj (40), Agra and Bareli (33 each). Gaon Connection was unable to independently verify the assertion by the association.
“This is the first list that we have released. So far, these five hundred eighteen deaths have been calculated with half the information we have been provided. All of them had COVID test reports,” Hari Kishor Tiwari, president of the association, told Gaon Connection.
Deaths and demand for compensation
The list of workers’ deaths has been documented from April 1 till May 18, informed the president. “Deaths of all those workers who have died due to poll duties will be counted in COVID deaths. We have informed this and written to the government,” Tiwari said.
The departments whose workers are part of the State Employee’s Joint Council include agriculture, irrigation, health, panchayat, public works, labour, rural development, etc. “As of now, deaths from lekhpal, electricity, roadways, water, police, child development, MGNREGA, ASHA workers are still to be documented,” said Tiwari.
The workers’ association has demanded Rs 10 million compensation each to the families of the deceased. It also wants all the deceased to be declared as corona warriors, and arrangements for treatment and vaccination of the deceased families be made urgently. For this, institutions like the Red Cross Society should be authorised, it said.
Poll duty and teachers’s deaths
The State Employee’s Joint Council isn’t the only state level association that has alleged deaths of its members due to COVID19 following poll duty.
On May 16, a state level teachers’ association — Uttar Pradesh Prathmik Shikshak Sangh — asserted that at least 1,621 government primary teachers died of COVID19 following the poll duty for the panchayat elections.
Meanwhile, on May 19, another teachers’ association — Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh — claimed 425 secondary teachers had died of corona in the state due to poll duty.
Reacting to these allegations, the minister of state for basic education department, Satish Chandra Dwivedi, issued a press note on May 19, and dismissed such claims as “wrong and baseless”.
However, the associations are sticking to their claims. “Corona is not a cyanide [a poisonous chemical] that people will consume and die immediately. The CM has assured us there will be an amendment,” said Tiwari.
Panchayat elections in the eye of the storm
As per the existing guidelines of the State Election Commission (SEC), the duration of election duty is considered only from the time the employee leaves home to reach the election training centre, polling booth or counting centre, and then returns home after the duty.
On May 20, CM Adityanath chaired a high level review meeting and gave instructions to Chief Secretary and ACS Panchayati Raj to coordinate with the SEC and request the Commission to amend the guidelines, in a manner as deemed fit.
According to the SEC guidelines, the government will give compensation and job to one family member of every teacher, Shikshamitra, rozgar sewak, police personnel and every employee who died during election duty or who got infected with COVID-19 during that period leading to their demise later.
While addressing the issue, the CM said, “Currently, the guidelines of the Election Commission do not cover the impact caused by COVID-19 (being the unforeseeable future, retrospectively) within their ambit. Therefore, to address the current situation, the guidelines need to be amended keeping a sympathetic approach.”
The amendments proposed include effective rehabilitation (including employment opportunities) and adequate compensation being provided to the members of the family of the deceased (COVID-19 patient) within a specific time frame.
Also Read: UP panchayat elections: Surging crowds at counting centres; COVID protocols missing
Meanwhile, the state government also informed that it was forced to hold the panchayat elections in a raging second wave of COVID19. On April 25, in a press statement, the state government blamed the Allahabad High Court for forcing it to hold the panchayat elections: “Contrary to the misinformation campaign against the Yogi government, the decision to conduct the elections of the Gram Panchayats stemmed from the directions of the Allahabad High Court to the Government of the State of Uttar Pradesh.”
