Bengaluru: Carrying placards and chanting slogans of “Beda Beda SIR Beda” (Don’t want SIR), a group of civil rights activists gathered at Freedom Park on Saturday evening to protest against the state government’s silence and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Protesters raised concerns over alleged deletion of voters’ names during the exercise and demanded transparency and clarity from the state.Members of several activist groups recited poems and raised slogans, saying the demonstration was aimed at highlighting threats to voting rights and pressing the government to clearly state its position on SIR. M Jayamma, vice-president of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), said married women who migrated to the city decades ago were being asked to furnish details of their father’s identity, native place and supporting documents. “When such proof is not produced, their names are removed from the electoral rolls. If this practice continues, it will exclude genuine citizens and create unnecessary social and religious divisions. Authorities must ensure that no eligible voter is denied their constitutional right to vote,” she said.Advocate Vinay Srinivasa of My Vote My Right said the SIR process threatened everyone’s voting rights. “The process is so random that anyone can be excluded. There are fears that deletion of voter names could impact other documents like passports, driving licences, ration cards and scholarships,” he said. Mamatha Yajaman of Naveddu Nilladiddare– a network of women’s organisations on gender justice said many married women were being excluded. “Our voting rights are going missing… This is shameful for the government and the Election Commission,” she said. – By Akilandeshwari J
