Kolkata: A newborn baby in Cooch Behar has allegedly been denied a birth certificate because his father’s name does not figure in the electoral roll published after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal. What makes the case particularly disturbing is that both the child’s parents have birth certificates, while the father’s name also figured in the 2002 electoral roll.
The incident was shared by Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) representative Umar Owais at a press conference in Kolkata on Saturday, November 14, to illustrate how the consequences of SIR are extending beyond the right to vote and affecting people’s everyday lives.
The press conference was significant for another reason. Representatives of virtually the entire opposition spectrum in West Bengal, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), CPI(M), CPI(ML) and CPI, came together to raise their concerns over the exercise.
The coming together of parties that are otherwise political rivals was presented as a united response to what they described as a humanitarian crisis arising from SIR.
A CPI(M) leader clarified that political differences with the TMC remained, but those differences could not come in the way of collective action on an issue involving people’s lives and rights.
“Politically, we may have differences with the TMC, but when it comes to a humanitarian crisis like SIR, we are together,” was the message conveyed by the CPI(M) representative.
The press conference also marked the launch of the All Bengal Joint Forum to Safeguard the Right to Vote, a platform of political parties, civil society representatives and concerned citizens seeking accountability over the voter-list revision.
The forum announced a convention in Kolkata on November 21 and placed six major questions before the Election Commission and the state government. These concern the large number of appeals pending before tribunals, the voting rights of excluded voters, appeals filed against voters whose names have already been retained, restoration of names through Form 6, accountability for exclusions during the 2026 Assembly elections and the denial of welfare benefits to deleted voters.
TMC, CPI(M) and Congress Share Stage in Kolkata Over West Bengal SIR Deletions
The political unity displayed at the press conference was an important aspect of the initiative. Representatives of the Congress, TMC, CPI(M), CPI(ML) and CPI shared the platform despite their differences on other political questions.
The CPI(M) representative’s clarification was significant in the context of the often-contentious relationship between the Left and the TMC in Bengal. The message was that electoral and political competition could not take precedence over the protection of people’s basic rights.
37 Lakh Appeals Pending: Six Questions Raised Over 2026 Assembly Poll Exclusions
The forum pointed out that nearly 37 lakh appeals were pending before the tribunals and questioned what would happen to the voting rights of approximately 22 lakh excluded voters who had challenged their deletion.
It also sought an explanation for the filing of 16,10,311 appeals through the office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer against voters whose cases had already been considered during adjudication.
The forum questioned whether voters seeking restoration through Form 6 were being given a fair opportunity and who would be held accountable if eligible voters were prevented from exercising their franchise during the 2026 Assembly elections.
Another major concern was the treatment of deleted voters by government departments. Speakers argued that people whose appeals are pending should not be deprived of welfare schemes and other public facilities merely because their names are missing from the electoral rolls.
Birth Certificates, Passports and Welfare Blocked After Voter Roll Deletions
The concerns are not confined to voting rights. Owais said some deleted voters were also facing difficulties obtaining new passports or renewing existing ones.
The speakers pointed out that the Supreme Court had clarified that SIR was not an exercise to determine citizenship. They questioned the logic of allowing deletion from an electoral roll to become a ground for creating difficulties in accessing other services and documents.
93% of Reviewed SIR Appeals Found Genuine by Appellate Tribunals
The speakers also cited figures from the Appellate Tribunals, claiming that approximately 93 per cent of around 1.5 lakh cases examined so far had been found genuine, with orders issued for restoration of the voters’ names.
They argued that this high proportion of successful appeals should make the authorities more sensitive towards people whose cases are still pending. Denying them welfare entitlements before their appeals are decided, they said, amounts to punishing people for an administrative process that has not reached its conclusion.
In the Cooch Behar newborn’s case, the APCR has formally written to the District Magistrate seeking urgent administrative intervention so that the child is not deprived of an essential identity document due to the post-SIR electoral roll discrepancies.
Jawhar Sircar Questions Bengal CEO Neelam Meena Over 16.10 Lakh Appeals, IT Deletions
The forum’s concerns also found resonance in a letter written by former IAS officer and former Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar to West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Neelam Meena on November 13.
Following up on his earlier communication of October 22, Sircar expressed disappointment that the CEO’s office had neither acknowledged nor responded to his questions.
His latest communication raises several concerns about the scope of the fresh enrolment exercise and the Election Commission’s handling of appeals.
Sircar questioned whether voters excluded during SIR could all seek fresh enrolment or whether the facility was restricted to those categorised as Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD).
He specifically referred to 27.16 lakh names deleted by judicial officers and another 5.46 lakh removed through Form 7, asking whether these voters were also entitled to apply for fresh enrolment.
One of the most significant questions concerns 16,10,311 appeals reportedly filed against voters whose names had already been retained following adjudication by judicial officers.
Sircar sought clarification on the authority behind these appeals and questioned the role of the Election Commission’s IT system in processing deletions. He also raised concerns about whether the system had encroached upon the statutory powers of Electoral Registration Officers.
His letter further sought clarity on the position of voters whose appeals are pending before tribunals, the possibility of their enrolment through the EROs and the treatment of urban voters in Kolkata, Howrah and other municipal areas.
He also raised the question of accountability of election officials and whether constitutional and statutory safeguards could be invoked when officials allegedly act in violation of the law.
Forum Demands Postponement of KMC, Howrah Civic Polls Until After Jan 2027
The forum’s concerns over electoral exclusion are not limited to the Assembly elections. A memorandum submitted to the West Bengal State Election Commission raises the implications of SIR for forthcoming municipal elections.
Invoking Article 243ZA of the Constitution and Section 5 of the West Bengal Municipal Elections Act, 1994, the memorandum seeks to ensure that elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) and other civic bodies are held only after the Election Commission of India completes its re-enrolment exercise.
It proposes that the civic elections should take place after January 4, 2027, when the current enrolment exercise is expected to conclude, or after any extension granted to it.
The memorandum specifically demands that all voters who have appealed before the Appellate Tribunals be included in the electoral rolls before municipal elections are conducted.
Among those who signed the memorandum were Jawhar Sircar and Subhankar Sarkar.
The forum argues that conducting civic elections while thousands of voters remain caught in the adjudication and appeal process could deny them their democratic right to participate in local self-government.
Kolkata SIR Convention on Nov 21 Faces Hall Denial Ahead of Civic Polls
Meanwhile, the proposed November 21 convention is facing an unexpected hurdle. Avik Saha, coordinator of the forum, told the press conference that they had not yet managed to secure a hall for the gathering.
Undeterred, he said the convention would take place “inside hall, on road or even on air”.
The remark captured the frustration among the organisers, who want to take the discussion on electoral rights beyond the immediate circle of political parties and bring together citizens affected by the revision.
