Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Thousands of teachers forced into poll duty in India suffer Covid-19

Thousands of teachers forced into poll duty in India suffer Covid-19

MORE than 1,600 teachers in India died from Covid-19 weeks after their polling duty between April and May.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, schools in India remained closed, therefore hundreds of thousands of government teachers were asked to monitor polling booths as some states across the country held elections.


A letter to work in the Uttar Pradesh panchayat election arrived at Suman Lata’s house in Mathura. Her family begged to refuse the summons. Being the breadwinner of her family, Lata feared losing her jobs.

Two weeks after her poll duty, Lata died from Covid-19.

“She asked if she could be excused, but the officers said, ‘if you are not sick, you have to do your duty,” said Lata’s 25-year-old son, Vaibhav Agarwal.

“She called to tell us the facilities were really bad,” Agarwal said. She was not provided with hand sanitiser, gloves, or any other protective equipment, he said. “She was our mother, she provided everything for us, money won’t bring her back.”

Swati Gupta, a 32-year-old teacher, fell sick days after attending election training in early April, said her cousin, Amit Kumar Gupta.

“She had written an application to the district magistrate and state election commission to relieve her from duty due to poor health, but no reply was received,” he said.

She later tested positive for Covid and died before the polling date.

The Uttar Pradeshiya Prathmik Shikshak Sangh teachers’ union wrote several times to the state’s chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, asking for the polls to be postponed, but it said it got no response.

“These deaths could have been avoided if the elections were postponed but the government never paid heed,” said Sanjay Singh, the union’s general secretary.

“The least they could do now is give compensation to every family.”

A state government suggestion it might provide compensation for teachers it recognises died after contracting Covid on polling duty has done little to ease the anger over its refusal to postpone the vote.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less