’How do you explain the deletion of 130 million names?’ Why Indian voters are on the streets
Summary
India has removed 130 million names from its voter list in a special process called SIR (special intensive revision). Many people, especially from Muslim and minority communities, say they were wrongly left off the list and some have even been pushed across the border to Bangladesh.Key Facts
- 130 million names were removed from the Indian voter list in a short time, the largest removal since India’s independence.
- The government says SIR cleaned the list by removing dead and duplicate names, but many living citizens were also excluded.
- Critics say the process disproportionately removed Muslims, minorities, and poor people, who mostly do not support the ruling BJP party.
- Protests against SIR have occurred in major Indian cities, including large marches and police detentions.
- Opposition parties accuse the government of using SIR to steal votes and have asked the election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, to step down.
- In West Bengal, the BJP has increased detention of “illegal” immigrants after coming to power, targeting people excluded from the voter list.
- Shahida Fakir, an excluded voter, was detained and pushed into Bangladesh, even though she has documents proving her Indian citizenship.
- The election commission, led by Kumar, has taken on new powers to decide who is a citizen, which some view as beyond its legal role.
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