An ailing 80-year-old resident of West Bengal’s Bankura district was compelled to appear before a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing after discovering that his name was missing from the draft electoral roll, highlighting concerns over the difficulties faced by elderly citizens during voter verification exercises.
Tarapada Panja, a resident of Bhimahar village in Kotulpur block, attended the SIR hearing at the Kotulpur Block Development Office after being issued a notice by election authorities. Officials reportedly flagged his case after his name was found absent from the 2002 electoral roll, prompting them to seek additional verification details, including information related to his parents.
Explaining the circumstances, Panja said his name had been removed from the local voter list two decades ago due to his temporary relocation for work. “I was living and working in Kolkata in 2002, which is why my name was deleted from Kotulpur’s voter list. In 2003, I reapplied there,” he said.
He added that after retiring in 2008, he surrendered his Kolkata voter identity card and re-registered as a voter at his present address in Bankura. “Now, my name is missing again from the 2025 draft SIR list,” Panja said.
Despite advanced age and ill health, Panja reached the hearing centre with the assistance of his two daughters. Family members said he submitted multiple supporting documents, including land records and provident fund papers issued prior to 2002, to establish his residence and eligibility.
However, according to the family, officials conducting the hearing said the documents did not meet the specific criteria prescribed by the Election Commission. “I explained the reasons behind the changes in my voter registration and produced all available documents related to my residence and temporary shift for work,” Panja said. “But the officials were not satisfied. This feels like harassment. I was enrolled under a private provident fund system, and even that was rejected as valid proof.”
The lack of clarity over the outcome of the hearing has left the elderly man deeply distressed. “This SIR hearing has caused immense anxiety. The verification process remains unresolved, and I was told there is no way to take the matter forward from here,” he said.
His daughter, Monimala Ghoshal, expressed concern about the toll the process had taken on her father’s health. “My father is unwell and mostly bed-ridden. Despite that, we had to bring him here after receiving the notice. He is extremely anxious, and we are very worried about him,” she said.
