Civil rights groups submit emergency letter over SIR to CM Shivakumar

Key points

• BENGALURU: Members of various civil society organisations of Karnataka, including actor Prakash Raj, met CM DK Shivakumar on Monday and…
• They also demanded that residents in the Shifted, Absent and Others categories should not immediately be declared deleted.
• They said there is no need for haste as there are no elections in Karnataka right now.
• They alleged that almost half of Bengaluru’s voters will be deleted from the rolls.

BENGALURU: Members of various civil society organisations of Karnataka, including actor Prakash Raj, met CM DK Shivakumar on Monday and submitted an emergency letter pertaining to the ongoing SIR exercise in the state. They requested the CM to protect the rights of the voters and put in place three critical measures.

They said there is no need for haste as there are no elections in Karnataka right now. Hence, the enumeration form process should be extended by another three months and the entire process by one year.

They also demanded that residents in the Shifted, Absent and Others categories should not immediately be declared deleted. Finally, they demanded that if the ECI fails to undertake extensive outreach works, Karnataka should take up the responsibility and demanded the subject be discussed in the Assembly, and a resolution be passed urging the ECI to take the required action.

They alleged that almost half of Bengaluru’s voters will be deleted from the rolls. They also alleged that almost 3,000 booths in Bengaluru, the level of deletion is beyond 60% and that many elderly were marked as dead. BLOs should once again conduct door-to-door visits in all booths and provide Enumeration Forms and Form No. 8 to people who have shifted and settled elsewhere, allowing them to transfer their vote.