Tumakuru, July 5 -- The death of a 26-year-old Village Administrative Officer (VAO) engaged in Karnataka's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has triggered widespread protests by revenue department employees, who alleged that relentless work pressure imposed during the exercise contributed to the tragedy.

Bhuvana, a VAO serving as a supervisor for Booth Level Officers (BLOs), was killed after a truck rammed into her two-wheeler on Kunigal Road near Guluru in Tumakuru district on Saturday. She sustained severe head injuries and later succumbed at Siddaganga Hospital, police said.

The accident has snowballed into a major controversy, with employees and the victim's family accusing senior officials of forcing field staff to ...