The People Against SIR coalition has announced that protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will resume in Delhi on November 26, with a march from Mandir Marg to Jantar Mantar. The campaign will continue until December 20 and include rallies, public meetings and voter list audits across the country.
The announcement was made at a press conference at the Press Club of India on Thursday, following a meeting of the coalition’s leadership. The group brings together civil society activists, Left trade union centres, farmers’ and students’ organisations, along with the Cockroach Janta Party.
- Krishnaprasad, finance secretary of the CPM-backed All India Kisan Sabha, said the November 26 march would seek to reclaim Jantar Mantar as a protest site. He added that public meetings would subsequently be organised across India, where people affected by the SIR exercise could present evidence of their experiences.
Transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj raised concerns over the consequences of changes to voters’ Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers. She said voters whose names had been restored to electoral rolls should have their earlier identification numbers reinstated, arguing that changes could make it difficult for people to establish their eligibility for welfare benefits such as ration cards, pensions and scholarships.
The issue has gained significance as voters whose names were deleted during the revision have been required in some cases to apply afresh through Form 6 to register and obtain new EPIC cards.
Actor Prakash Raj, who has campaigned against the SIR exercise, also addressed the press conference. He criticised the treatment of protesters and questioned claims that three crore names removed from voter lists belonged to Bangladeshi infiltrators.
In its statement, the coalition called for nationwide demonstrations on November 26, which marks Constitution Day, to defend the right to vote, livelihood and protest. It also plans to observe Human Rights Day on December 10 and hold booth-level meetings and voter list audits.
The campaign will culminate on December 20, when the group plans to urge the President to scrap the SIR exercise and restore citizens’ voting rights before further elections are announced.
Source: The Telegraph
