West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared on Monday her intention to approach the Supreme Court against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, labeling the process as "inhumane." The TMC chief's announcement came during a public address in South 24 Parganas district, where she accused the exercise of causing fear, harassment, and even deaths.
Allegations of Arbitrary Deletions and Harassment
Addressing a gathering on Sagar Island, Mamata Banerjee launched a sharp critique of the revision process. She alleged that names were being "arbitrarily struck off" the voter lists without any valid justification. According to her, this has transformed a routine administrative task into a significant source of fear and anxiety for the public ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
The Chief Minister painted a grim picture of the ground reality, claiming that terminally ill patients and elderly citizens were being compelled to stand in long queues just to prove their identity as legitimate voters. "How would BJP leaders feel if someone made their old parents stand in line to prove their identity," she questioned, as reported by PTI.
Deaths and Hospitalisations Linked to the Process
In a serious allegation, Mamata Banerjee stated that the SIR exercise has had fatal consequences. She claimed that several people have died due to fear since the revision began, while others have been hospitalised. "We are moving court tomorrow against the inhumane treatment and the death of so many people due to the SIR," she asserted.
Emphasising her legal background, the TMC supremo added, "If allowed, I will also move the Supreme Court and plead as a common person against this inhumane exercise. I am also a trained lawyer." This move underscores the severity of the political and legal battle brewing over the electoral roll revision.
Formal Complaint to the Election Commission
This public declaration follows a formal letter written by Banerjee to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar just two days prior, on Saturday. In her detailed letter, she expressed "grave concern" regarding what she described as serious irregularities, procedural violations, and administrative lapses witnessed during the SIR.
She termed the entire exercise "unplanned, arbitrary and adhoc" and urged the poll body chief to immediately address and rectify the glitches. She warned that failure to do so should lead to the halting of the process. Banerjee expressed apprehension about large-scale disenfranchisement of eligible voters, calling it a direct assault on democratic principles.
The Chief Minister's twin-pronged approach—a formal complaint to the Election Commission and a planned legal challenge in the Supreme Court—sets the stage for a major confrontation over the integrity of the electoral process in the poll-bound state of West Bengal.
