Unions say over 700 teachers died on UP panchayat poll duty, govt denies

Even as the teachers' associations and other bodies argued before the Supreme Court that many teachers and other state employees, deployed for election duty during the Uttar Pradesh panchayat elections, were affected with Covid-19 and several persons had died, the UP government has said the inquiry is still on.

"Can't say if they contracted Covid-19 because of election duty or otherwise," argued Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati.

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea, on Saturday, filed by a UP-based lawyer to defer the counting of votes, after a teachers' body said that teachers had died of Covid-19 while they were on duty during the rural polls.