Forum for Electoral Integrity urges NHRC to probe alleged discriminatory voter deletions under ECI’s SIR exercise
A civil society coalition, the Forum for Electoral Integrity (FEI), has urged the Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to intervene in what it describes as the
A civil society coalition, the Forum for Electoral Integrity (FEI), has urged the Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to intervene in what it describes as the arbitrary and discriminatory deletion of millions of names from electoral rolls during the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. In a representation submitted to NHRC chairperson Justice V.
Ramasubramanian on Thursday, FEI sought an open public hearing, the summoning of affected petitioners and Election Commission officials, and an independent inquiry into the revision process. The forum alleged that the exercise has disproportionately affected Muslim, Bengali and other minority communities, raising concerns over violations of fundamental human rights. The representation claimed that the SIR exercise, conducted across multiple States and Union Territories following a pilot in Bihar, resulted in the removal of nearly 52 million names from electoral rolls, including about 9.1 million in West Bengal.
FEI cited reports alleging that many eligible voters were excluded despite possessing valid identification documents and that minority communities were disproportionately impacted. FEI has requested the NHRC to register the matter as a
formal complaint, seek detailed reports from the ECI and other authorities, hold public hearings, and recommend that any further expansion of the SIR exercise be kept in abeyance until an independent inquiry is completed.
The BriefWire