Kolkata: Many electors, even after producing their passports during hearings to prove their voting rights for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal, came under the adjudication category. When the SIR hearing was underway, the Election Commission stated that those possessing passports would get their logical discrepancies resolved in a jiffy. Now these passport holders are left with only one question: "Despite travelling abroad as Indian citizens, why is our citizenship under judicial scrutiny now for the SIR exercise?"
Sheikh Ashfaque Ali, deputy registrar of Aliah University and a Picnic Garden resident, showed his passport during the SIR hearing, but he came ‘under adjudication' on the final roll published recently. "I was in a govt job for over 25 years, and the passport was issued to me by the central govt. Before issuing me the passport, the authorities concerned verified my credentials. Then why did the EC mark me under judicial scrutiny despite my submission of a passport as an SIR document?" he asked.
Tollygunge resident Sudip Roy Chowdhury also produced his passport for SIR enumeration, but he was taken aback on finding himself under judicial scrutiny as a voter. "I gave my passport as a document needed for the SIR enumeration and hearing, and it is a govt-issued document verifying the identity and nationality of a person. Despite this, there is an under-adjudication stamp on my name in the electoral roll. But a passport is one of the documents supposed to be produced for mitigation of logical discrepancy during the hearing, as per the EC's notification," he rued.
A passport is one of the 13 EC-specified documents required for the SIR exercise. Issued by the ministry of external affairs under the Govt of India, a passport is required for international travel, visa acquisition, and access to consular protection. It is known as a crucial document for legal, financial, and identification purposes worldwide. Even the BLOs conceded that among the electors summoned for logical discrepancies, the passport holders were not asked to produce any other document.
A BLO in south Kolkata said, "No sooner did the electors put their passports on the tables of AEROs than their hearing was completed. But after the publication of the electoral roll, many in my part number were found to be placed under judicial scrutiny. Even the EROs and AEROs don't have any answer as to how this happened. This is how genuine voters are being harassed."
Kidderpore resident Mohammad Reyaz, a professor of Aliah University, travelled to 6 countries to attend academic seminars with his passport, which the EC did not accept to regard him as a legitimate voter. He rued, "Upon the release of the electoral roll, we could see that the submission of a passport was not enough. Is it not ridiculous? All of us, except one of our brothers, submitted passports for the SIR exercise, and it is among the documents that were specified by the EC. But we are under adjudication."