Mysuru: With just two weeks left for the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a group of voters rescued two decades ago by a women’s welfare NGO — Odanadi Seva Samsthe — has reached a dead end, as they are unable to furnish mandatory details about their parents despite possessing Aadhaar and voter ID cards.Around 15 individuals, including several young women, were rescued as children, and later, rehabilitated by Odanadi Seva Samsthe. Today, they are part of the society, working as auto drivers, employees in private firms, contractors and staff in other NGOs. However, they now face the risk of exclusion from the ongoing enumeration process because they cannot provide parental details required under the 2002 SIR documentation norms.The NGO’s director, L Parashuram, said the problem stems from the circumstances in which these children were found and admitted into care. Many of them were abandoned on the streets or were found in vulnerable conditions. In most cases, the children never knew their fathers. When they were brought to the shelter, their identity records were created listing the institution as the care-of address, without naming parents. As a result, their Aadhaar records also carry the care-of address of Odanadi Seva Samsthe, with no parental names mentioned.The director explained that several cases are particularly complex. Some were found abandoned with no traceable family. One voter reportedly lost her parents and sister to suicide, and has no surviving relatives. Another was abandoned after the parents separated and both of them got remarried. In one case, the parents were already deceased at the time of rescue. Another individual is mentally ill, further complicating documentation and follow-up. For many, there is no verifiable family link, to establish parentage, and there are no records beyond institutional intake details from two decades ago.Despite successful rehabilitation, their permanent address continues to remain in the shelter, as it has been the only consistent address in official records. While they do have voter IDs, the present verification process requires details they cannot produce. The NGO said it has attempted to seek guidance from the booth level officers (BLOs) concerned but has not received clear solutions.In view of the urgency, the NGO is planning to submit a memorandum to the Election Commission through the DC, requesting a special provision or an alternative column in the enumeration format to accommodate such cases. Parashuram urged that the EC treat these as exceptional cases and ensure that such citizen are not denied their fundamental right to vote, due to the absence of parental details that are impossible to obtain.The NGO also pointed out that affected individuals are unlikely to approach courts because of their troubled backgrounds, limited support systems and fear of stigma. Some do not want their traumatic childhood histories to become public, due to humiliation and social repercussions.When contacted, DC G Lakshmikanth Reddy, who is also the district electoral officer, told TOI that the EC has given ample options to voters to provide supporting documents for the enumeration process. If people from disturbed backgrounds don’t have parental details, the district administration would organise a special drive to cover such a voting population and create opportunities for them.
