Cooch Behar daily wager, Hwh advocates, Madhyamgram teacher among crowd thronging SIR tribunal office in Joka
Times of India | 19 April 2026
Kolkata: Running from the pillar to post to know about the status of their appeals made after deletion of names, many ‘deleted' voters, including advocates, knocked on the door of justice at Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee-National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS), Joka, on Saturday, but they could neither walk into the "prohibited zone" nor get answers on how to access the report cards that will be released by the tribunal authority.
Most of these electors had visited several govt offices to follow up their appeals, and had been directed to the tribunal. While trying to enter, they were shooed away from the office for being "trespassers".
Among those who visited the Joka office was daily wager Ayub Miah, 33, a ‘deleted' voter who travelled around 713 km from Cooch Behar to enquire about his right as his home town will go to poll on April 23. "I am the sixth child of my father and this is my sin for which the EC knocked my name off the roll. But my visit was of no use. The security guards did not allow me to enter the office," he rued.
Sukamal Karar and Naznin Khatun, both advocates at Howrah Court, visited the DM and SDO's offices in the morning but did not find any clarification about the response to their appeals. The officials sent them to the tribunal's office, but they could not access anything. "I got my voting right 12 years ago. My father's name is Subhas Chandra Karar but the 2002 roll mentioned his name as Subhas Karar. When I was called for hearing earlier, I submitted all documents but I was placed under adjudication and finally my name was deleted. I filed the appeal online but have not been able to trace its status. None has any definite answer while the cops and central force guarding the office did not let me enter," said Karar, a resident of Shibpur constituency.
The security guards stated they have been instructed not to allow anyone inside the institute where the tribunal authority is going through the appeals. "As per directions, we can let in only those who will show a notice from the tribunal authority. Entry of others is prohibited," said a security personnel.
Madhyamgram resident Rahul Sabharwal, who teaches at a private institute, drove about 40 km for over an hour to reach Joka to know whether his son Ayush will be able to vote. But he could barely spend a minute outside the office as the security guards drove him away, replying that they were instructed not to let in the applicants. "Where will people like me go to know the decision of the tribunal authority? This is my second visit to Joka as I came here on April 14. My 27-year-old son Ayush has lost his voting right. No hearing notice was issued to him, and none told us if any document other than the ones submitted was needed. The names of mine and my wife are there on the rolls. One of the cops said that names cleared may be put up outside but there is no confirmation on this," said Sabharwal.
Khatun, also the notary officer at the court, rued, "The second-phase poll is 11 days away, so I came to know whether the appellate tribunal authority has cleared my name for restoration of voting right. But there is no way to find the status of appeals. None has any answer here. This is nothing but harassment. The BLO did not give me any hearing notice after the enumeration phase. The reason behind deletion has not been communicated to me. Have I been victimised for my religion?"