Latest news with #BharatJodoAbhiyan
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Crossing a river to get photocopies, paying money to get form filled — issues pile up at panel on voter list revision
Anuj Kumar Choudhary from Rivilganj in Bihar's Saran district says there are nine voters in his family. However, Booth-level Officers (BLO), who are responsible for carrying out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of voters on the ground, only gave the family two enumeration forms that will now become the basis for exercising their right to vote. He claims that the remaining seven forms had already been uploaded online without their knowledge. 'I am one of few educated people among the Dalit community in my area, where barely 30-40% people have got enumeration forms… Will submission of forms without documents keep us in the final electoral roll?' asks Chaudhary. He is one of the 250 people from 14 districts who have come to Patna Monday for a public hearing on SIR by a panel. The panel was organised Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, National Alliance of People's Movement, Swaraj Abhiyan, Kosi Navnirman Manch, Summer Charitable Trust and Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan. On stage were Justice (Retired) Anjana Prakash (former judge, Patna High Court); Wajahat Habibullah (former Central Information Commissioner and Chair, National Commission for Minorities); Professor Jean Dreze (Economist); Professor Nandini Sundar (Sociologist, Delhi School of Economics), D M Diwakar (ex Director, A N Sinha Institute, Patna) and Bhanwar Meghwanshi (Writer). Social activist and Swaraj India's president Yogendra Yadav, who is one of the petitioners in the Supreme Court challenging the SIR exercise, was part of the audience. As the July 25 date for the submission of enumeration forms approaches, many like Choudhary came to the event with issues — from running post to pillar to secure a document, to the difficulties in filling up a form, to the costs incurred to get the process done. Phool Kumari Devi from Hasanganj in the Katihar district says she has had to sell rice at home for the process. 'I am a daily wage worker. I had to sell rice to bear the cost of photocopies of my Aadhar Card and also had to pay a neighbour Rs 100 to fill up my form because I am illiterate. I had no document other than Aadhar. I could not earn for two days because of this unnecessary exercise,' says Devi. Rajesh Kumar from Madhepura speaks of the washing away of belongings — including important documents — due to the recurrent flooding in the Kosi belt. 'In our area, people have to cross a river to get a photocopy. Most of my villagers could submit enumeration forms. But in most cases, they only had Aadhar Cards and that is not among the 11 documents prescribed for the exercise. We do not know how we will submit required documents if asked between 1 August and 31 August,' said Rajesh who has been voting after the 2003 prescribed cut-off. With seven districts of Bihar sharing a border with Nepal, an Araria resident talks about concerns of people married to non-Indians. 'Someone I know from Nepal married a man from Araria 20 years ago. She has voted in India in the last three elections. Now, she is being asked to bring documents of her parents. As per law, she will not be treated as an Indian citizen,' she says. Summing up the arguments, Prof Dreze says: 'Most people talked about four things — BLOs not reaching out to most of them, not giving them receipts, the submission of forms without documents, and a large number of forms getting submitted without the knowledge of voters.' Yadav adds: 'The Election Commission of India (ECI) has been accepting forms without one of 11 documents without having modified its order. When its original order said 'duly-filled' forms, it could imply documents attached. It is now the sole discretion of ECI to accept or reject the form…. The Law says a voter remains a voter… Barring some exceptions. Now, the onus is not on ECI but on voters to prove themselves as voters. We have apprehensions of the SIR targeting certain regions and certain communities'. As per a sample survey conducted by an organisation named Jansumvai of over 300 migrants, 72% had no idea what the SIR was, while 70% had not heard about the online application process. About 50% of them had voted in the Bihar 2020 Assembly polls and 74% of them wanted to vote in the forthcoming Assembly polls. Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More
The Wire
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Lost Wages, Lost Documents and Rs 100 to Fill Out Forms: Accounts From a Bihar SIR Public Hearing
Patna: The Election Commission's special intensive revision of the electoral rolls of Bihar has cost Katihar daily wage labourer Phool Kumari Devi two days' worth of earnings and five kilograms of rice. 'The BLO (Booth Level officer) had asked me for my Aadhaar card and voter ID card, and a passport size photo. I had no photo so I had to travel four kilometres to a photo studio. I had no money, so I had to sell rice I had got through the public distribution system. This meant that I had to stay without food," said Phool Kumari Devi. She said this at a public hearing organised in Patna on July 21 by several organisations including the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, National Alliance of People's Movement, Swaraj Abhiyan and Kosi Navnirman Manch. Fifty years old, Phool Kumari is landless. 'I had to miss a day of work because I spent one entire day getting photographs from the studio. I missed another day because I had to get my husband and my forms filled. I lost two days' wages, around Rs 1,000. Imagine the difficulty for us,' she told The Wire later. Phool Kumari noted that she was relieved that she was able to submit the forms with the Aadhaar and voter ID details that the official had asked her for. Yet the fact is that these two cards are not among the 11 documents that the Election Commission will accept – a decision it has defended in its affidavit to the Supreme Court as well. Phool Kumari is not alone. In the public hearing, at least two dozen voters spoke of their unique struggles with the rushed SIR. Rajesh Kumar of Supaul district said that he lost all his important documents in last year's floods. 'Now where will we get documents to prove our citizenship?' he asked. According to Bihar's disaster management data, around 56 lakhs people were affected by floods last year. Also read: Explainer: Is Bihar SIR in Line With Basic Constitutional Principles and Settled Election Law? Many people complained that they were asked for money to get their forms filled. Kanchan Devi is one of them. A resident of Barari assembly area in Katihar district, Kanchan Devi got the information about the SIR from a neighbour one day when she returned from work with her husband Jai Prakash Mandal. 'Our neighbour told us that forms had been distributed already. So we went to the BLO. He told us that we will have to submit our Aadhaar card details and a photo,' she said at the hearing. The couple did not receive formal education and were not able to fill the forms themselves. They had to pay a person to fill the form on their behalf. 'The BLO said that we will have to pay money, otherwise our forms will not be filled. We told him that we are daily wage earners – where will we get money from? But he didn't listen,' she said. Out of fear that their names will be deleted from the voter list, she took Rs 100 from a neighbour and paid it to someone who filled their forms for them. Later, she learnt that an Aadhaar card is not among accepted documents. 'We have only Aadhaar card and voter ID card. We don't have any other documents,' she said. She also said that she was not even given a receipt for the form. Most voters at the public hearing, except a couple, said that they were not given receipts. '63% voters added after 2003 have no documents' The team from the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan released the outcome of a rapid survey conducted in eight districts in the first week of July. For this, 709 people of 12 assembly segments were interviewed. According to the survey report, voters of the 18-40 age group, who were not on the 2003 electoral rolls – an overwhelming majority of 63% – did not possess any of the 11 documents to qualify for eligibility. Most have Aadhaar and voter ID cards. The survey found that 37% of the surveyed voters did not fulfil any of the two conditions. 'They are thus vulnerable to exclusion from the new electoral rolls,' the survey report reads. On the basis of this, the survey team has calculated that 2.9 crore currently eligible voters may be deprived of their constitutional right to vote. This will hit the young the most as 51.4% of 675 surveyed individuals were added to the electoral rolls after 2003. What the experts said After listening to the testimonies of gathered people, the panelists noted how the SIR process is "illegal" and will deprive voters of their voting rights. Retired Patna high court judge, Justice Anjana Prakash, said, 'Now, every person of the state is suspicious in the eyes of the ECI. It is the Citizenship Act which decides the citizenship of persons but now the ECI is saying that it will decide the citizenship of people. This is wrong. There is no need for SIR in Bihar.' Also read: Bihar SIR: Election Commission Tells Supreme Court it Has Power to Scrutinise Citizenship Former commissioner at the Central Information Commission, Wajahat Habibullah, said, 'The ECI is misusing law and the SIR has thrown people in trouble. After listening to the people, I have come to the conclusion that SIR is not only weak in process but it is dangerous.' Economist Jean Dreze said that an Electoral Registration Officer or ERO will exercise immense power in this process. It is the ERO who will decide whose name should remain in the electoral rolls. 'The process has been fixed in a hurry and the ECI is violating its own Act. There are lots of irregularities in it and it is simply a waste of government machinery." Sociologist Nandini Sundar observed how the exercise is scaring people and impinging on basic rights. 'The speciality of this country is that all the people, be they poor, rich or any caste, have equal rights of voting. This is the biggest thing freedom has given us. But this process is questioning our citizenship and terrorising the public," she said. 'Forms will be submitted till 25th July and after that ECI will question people. This is the beginning of the game of citizenship and later, voters will fall in trouble. This process must be cancelled," she added. Economist and former director of the A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Sciences, D.M. Diwakar questioned the whole process of SIR. 'ECI had done summary revision very recently so what is the need of doing this now? If it is being deliberately, then we need to understand the larger conspiracy is being played in the background,' he said. The founder of Forward Press, Bhanwar Meghwanshi, also demanded the cancellation of SIR and said that it will impact a large population of Dalit, backward and minority communities.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls should be cancelled, says economist Jean Dreze
People's movements and organisations in Bihar on Monday (July 21, 2025) organised a day-long public hearing on the ongoing SIR (Special Intensive Revision) exercise in the State. At the end of the hearing, the panel opined that the SIR should be not be modified but cancelled. Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), Samar Charitable Trust, Swaraj Abhiyan and Kosi Navnirman Manch jointly organised the Jan Sunwai at the premises of Bihar Industries Association (BIA), Patna. The panel comprised Anjana Prakash (former judge, Patna High Court), Wajahat Habibullah (former Chief Information Commissioner), economist Jean Drèze, professor Nandini Sundar (Sociologist, Delhi School of Economics), Dr. D. M. Diwakar (former Director, A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies, Patna) and Bhanwar Meghwanshi (founder, Forward Press. People from 14 districts participated in the programme, and they shared their experiences along with problems with the panel. May voters who were not literate had to pay someone around ₹100 to fill up per form. Kanchan Devi of Katihar district said that she has to pay Rs 100 to get her form filled. Rukma Devi from the same district had similar complaint. Ram Chandra Prasad, a resident of Nalanda district, said that he will challenge the process in the court of law because he did not get the acknowledgement receipt after submitting the form to Booth Level officer (BLO). Phool Kumari Devi, a labourer from Katihar district, said that BLO asked her to get a photocopy of Aadhar and Voter card which she had lot of trouble. 'I travelled 4 km to get the passport photo. I had no money; I sold the rice I had got from ration. I did not work for two days to gather all the documents. I had no rice and went hungry for two days,' Ms. Devi said. In multiple instances, voters discovered that their forms had already been submitted by the BLO. Even their signatures on the forms were not taken. A resident of Patna, Nirmal Kumar, alleged that his close ones received threats from the district administration when they raised the voice that their forms were already filled and submitted online. Many shared their experience that enumeration forms were distributed not by BLOs, but by Ward Parshad, Anganwadi Workers and Kuda Wala. So, many voters received no instructions on how to fill out the form. In many households, a few members got the form and others did not. People from the Kosi region said that their document have been washed away due multiple floods in their region. After listening to the participants, Mr. Dreze said that the purpose of the SIR is not clear even after reading the 20-page notification of the Election Commission of India (ECI). 'The purpose is not clear, but the result is clear, in which people would not be able to exercise their franchise. As per the survey of Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, 37% people do not have the documents required by the Commission. You all can understand which community, class and supporters of the political parties would be removed from the voter list,' Mr. Dreze said. He further said that SIR is not practical and impossible so it should not be modified but cancelled. 'The SIR should not be modified but cancelled. There have been multiple violations of the ECI's processes while completing targets under unreasonable pressure. This will worsen the quality of the voters' list and defeat the stated purpose of the ECI,' Mr. Dreze said. Ms. Prakash said that the documents that the ECI is asking are impossible to submit for many rural Biharis. Mr. Habibullah emphasised that the work of ECI is to encourage the people to vote and create a situation that can ease the voters but through SIR, it seems that the poll body is creating problem for the voters and making their path difficult. On the other hand, Mr. Meghwansi said that the SIR process is a threat to the Preamble of the Constitution and political equality. Professor Diwakar pointed out that today the democracy is neither of the people, nor for the people, nor by the people and everyone have to make efforts to get it back. Expressing apprehension, Ms. Sunder said that the SIR is very dangerous for democracy, and she hoped that the people's voice would be heard.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Revision of Bihar poll rolls riddled with violations, should be cancelled: Jean Drèze
Various peoples' groups in Bihar organised a day-long public hearing on Monday (July 21, 2025) to study the ongoing SIR (special intensive revision) in the State. The panel concluded that the SIR should be cancelled, not modified. Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), Samar Charitable Trust, Swaraj Abhiyan, and Kosi Navnirman Manch jointly organised the Jan Sunwai at Bihar Industries Association (BIA) The panel comprised Anjana Prakash (former judge, Patna High Court); Wajahat Habibullah (former Chief Information Commissioner); economist Jean Drèze; professor Nandini Sundar, sociologist at the Delhi School of Economics; Dr. D. M. Diwakar, former director A. N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies, Patna; and Bhanwar Meghwanshi founder of Forward Press. The illiterate struggled People from 14 districts participated and shared their experiences with the panel. Illiterate voters reported having to pay someone ₹100 to fill out the form. Kanchan Devi of Katihar district said that she paid ₹100 to get her form filled. Rukma Devi from the same district had a similar complaint. Ram Chandra Prasad, from Nalanda, said that he will challenge the process in court because he did not get an acknowledgement receipt after submitting the form with the booth level officer (BLO). Phool Kumari Devi, a labourer from Katihar, said that the BLO asked her to get photo copies of the Aadhar and voter card which caused her a lot of trouble. 'I travelled 4km to get the passport photo. I had no money, which forced me to sell my ration rice. I did not work for two days to gather all the documents. Then because I was left with no rice I went hungry for two days,' Ms. Devi said. Forms submitted without consent In multiple instances, voters discovered that their forms had already been submitted by the BLO. Even their signatures on the forms were not taken. A resident of Patna, Nirmal Kumar alleged that his relatives received threats from the district administration when they protested about their forms having been filled already, and submitted online. Many said that enumeration forms were distributed not by BLOs, but by ward councillors, anganwadi workers, and sanitary staff. Many voters received no instructions on how to fill the form. In many households, a few members got the form and others did not. People from the Kosi region said that their document have been washed away by multiple floods in their region. SIR's objective not clear After listening to the participants, Mr. Drèze said that the purpose of the SIR is unclear even after reading the Election Commission of India's (ECI) 20 page notification. 'The purpose is not clear but the result is clear, people would not be able to their exercise franchise. As per the survey of Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, 37% people do not have the documents sought by the Commission. You all understand which community, class, and supporters of political parties will be removed from the voter list,' Mr. Drèze said. He further said that SIR is not practical and is impossible, so it should not be modified but cancelled. 'The SIR should be not modified but cancelled. There have been multiple violations of the ECI's own processes while completing targets under unreasonable pressure. This will worsen the quality of the voters' list and defeat the stated purpose of the ECI,'Mr. Drèze said. Documents difficult to procure Ms. Prakash said that the documents that the ECI seeks are impossible to submit for many rural Biharis. Mr. Habibullah emphasised that the work of ECI is to encourage the people to vote and create a situation which helps voters but through the SIR, it seems that the poll body is creating problems for the voters and making their path difficult. On other hand Mr. Meghwansi said that the SIR process is a threat to the Preamble of the Constitution and political equality. Professor Diwakar said that today democracy is neither of the people, nor for the people, nor by the people and everyone has to strive to reclaim it. Expressing apprehension Ms. Sunder said that the SIR poses a danger to democracy and she hoped that the people's voice would be heard.
The Hindu
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP Brings in ‘Security' Law That Could Silence Dissent in Maharashtra
Published : Jul 16, 2025 07:36 IST - 5 MINS READ Days after the ruling BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra observed the 50th anniversary of the Emergency and the curtailment of freedoms it entailed, the Maha Yuti government, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, passed the Maharashtra Special Public Security (MSPS) Bill, 2024, by voice vote in the Legislative Assembly on July 10. The irony is stark: the same party that declared June 25 as 'Constitution Murder Day' now wields a law that critics describe as the gravest threat to freedom of expression in Maharashtra. While tabling the Bill, Fadnavis warned of 'urban Maoist networks' brainwashing youth, professionals, and civil servants. 'Maoists were trying to brainwash the youth of the urban areas and make them stand up against the democratic system of the country,' he said. The statement of objects claims that 'the menace of Naxalism is not only limited to remote areas of the Naxal-affected States, but its presence is increasing in the urban areas also through the Naxal front organisations'. The MSPS Bill empowers the State government to declare any suspect 'organisation' as an 'unlawful organisation'. Four offences can trigger action: membership of such organisations, fundraising on their behalf, managing or assisting them, and committing unlawful activities. Also Read | Why Maharashtra withdrew its Hindi language mandate in schools Punishments range from two to seven years' imprisonment and fines from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. These offences are cognisable and non-bailable, allowing arrest without a warrant. The Bill defines 'unlawful activity' broadly as any act that 'constitutes a danger or menace to public order, peace and tranquillity' or interferes 'with the administration of law'. The definition potentially encompasses satyagraha, civil disobedience, and peaceful protests—constitutionally protected forms of democratic expression. The Bill's journey First introduced during the 2024 monsoon session by then Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, the Bill was revived after the Maha Yuti returned to power in November 2024. A joint select committee, headed by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, held five meetings between March 4 and June 26 and received over 12,500 suggestions and objections. Civil society groups, including the Maharashtra chapter of the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan and the People's Union for Civil Liberties, urged that the Bill be withdrawn entirely. Others questioned its intent, calling it a precursor to authoritarianism. The committee recommended three amendments: changing the title to specify 'Left Wing Extremist organisations or similar organisations'; mandating an advisory board comprising three High Court judges or qualified persons; and raising the rank of the investigating officer from sub-inspector to Deputy Superintendent of Police. Pushback for the Bill In the Assembly, only CPI(M) MLA Vinod Nikole opposed the Bill outright, calling it 'draconian'. Rohit Pawar of the NCP (Sharad Pawar) expressed concern over its potential misuse. Fadnavis assured that political and social activists would not be targeted, and that the right to protest would remain protected. Congress leader Nitin Raut referred to the controversial Bhima Koregaon case of 2018, in which several people were arrested under the 'urban naxal' label. Despite this, the Opposition offered little resistance during the Assembly proceedings. The silence shocked civil society activists who had been protesting the Bill for over a year. Uddhav Thackeray and senior Congress leaders had attended a June 28 rally in Mumbai against the Bill. But it was only when the legislation reached the Legislative Council that Congress and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) actively objected. Congress leaders Satej Patil and Abhijit Vanjari condemned the Bill as an assault on democratic rights. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab gave a detailed speech highlighting its flaws. Vanjari questioned why only Left-wing extremism was targeted, while Right-wing extremism was ignored. Thackeray labelled it 'not Jan Suraksha but BJP Suraksha Bill'. Despite objections, the Bill was passed owing to the government's numerical strength in both Houses. Opposition members of the Council submitted an eight-page memorandum to the Governor urging him to withhold assent. The urban naxal propaganda machine The 'urban naxal' narrative has long been promoted by BJP sympathisers and Right-wing ideologues. Recent protests—against the CAA-NRC (Citizenship (Amendment) Act-National Register of Citizens), the farm laws, and others—were also branded 'Urban Naxal' conspiracies. The Bhima Koregaon case is the most cited example. Sixteen individuals, including political scientist Anand Teltumbde, activist Sudha Bharadwaj, and 84-year-old Father Stan Swamy, were arrested. Swamy died in custody on July 5, 2021, after being repeatedly denied bail despite suffering from Parkinson's disease. Another example is that of Professor G.N. Saibaba, a Delhi University academic and human rights activist, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court. He was acquitted twice by the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court—in October 2022 and March 2024—after spending nearly a decade in jail. Saibaba died on October 12, 2024, while undergoing treatment in Hyderabad. Politics over law Several existing laws already address unlawful activities. Congress MLC Abhijit Vanjari questioned the rationale behind the MSPS Bill: 'The Union Home Minister claims that the Naxal movement is nearly defeated, with only 28 per cent remaining. If true, under which law has this been achieved?' Also Read | As Maharashtra waits to be counted, politics is already doing the math Fadnavis, however, has pushed forward with legislation targeting alleged urban maoists. Sanjay M.G. of the National Alliance for People's Movements said, 'This law is to suppress future protests against the loot of India. The BJP's development model is being resisted—whether it is the redevelopment of Dharavi or mineral exploitation in Vidarbha. People will not stay silent, so this law is meant to silence them.' Vivek Korde, a senior social activist, cited a 2024 report by the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate, which showed that Maharashtra leads in hate speech cases, over 90 per cent of which involve Right-wing leaders. 'If Fadnavis truly cared about law and order, he would legislate against hate speech and violence,' he said. Civil society is planning large-scale protests. 'We are organising protest programmes across Maharashtra,' said Ulka Mahajan of Bharat Jodo Abhiyan. 'This is clearly an anti-people Bill aimed at stopping people from asserting their rights.' Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar announced plans to challenge the law in court. 'This law is draconian and unconstitutional. We are going to fight it legally,' he said. Maharashtra has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons—rampant corruption, MLA hooliganism, violent language protests, and crumbling infrastructure. The passage of the law marks yet another step in the State's steady descent.
