Case of unnatural death registered after booth-level officer found dead in Kannur

Payyannur police registered a case of unnatural death after a constable (BLO) was found hanging at his residence in Ettukudukka on Sunday, November 16, 2025.

The deceased has been identified as 44-year-old Aneesh George, a native of Ettukudukka and an employee of Kunnaru AUP School.

Aneesh, who served as BLO in ward 18 in Payyannur constituency, was found dead in his room around 11 am on Sunday morning. Although the initial result pointed to suicide, the police registered a case of unnatural death for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the family alleged that Aneesh was under serious pressure due to his election-related duties. They claimed that he had no personal problems and had worked late on the voter list the previous day.

Police are investigating whether the workload related to election duty led to the suspect’s alleged suicide. The body was taken to the hospital for autopsy.

Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar has sought a report from District Collector Arun K. Vijayan on the incident.

Mr. Kelkar, taking into account the allegations of excessive workload, said that a police investigation into the incident was essential. He explained that no official complaint has been received to the Commission so far and added that BLO duties are carried out with teamwork.

He also stated that BLOs have not been given additional duties for the last 31 days.

While denying allegations of work-related stress, the collector said Aneesh was a committed employee. The collector said further details could be obtained only after receiving the police report.

(Suicide prevention helpline: DISHA – 1056, 0471-2552056)