Citizens harassed, IT system misused: Mamata Banerjee flags SIR, writes to CEC

KOLKATA: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar flagging various issues related to the Special Intensive Revision in the state.

In her letter dated January 3, CM Banerjee alleged that officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) misused IT systems, claiming that voter names were deleted from the backend without proper authorization.

She questioned who sanctioned such actions and under what legal authority, emphasizing that the ECI must be held fully accountable for any illegal, arbitrary, or biased activities conducted under its supervision.

“There are also grave allegations regarding the backend deletion of electors through the misuse of IT systems, without following due process/ and without the knowledge or approval of the Electoral Registration Officers (EROS), who are the competent statutory authorities under the Representation of the People Act. This raises serious questions as to who has authorized such actions and under what legal authority. The ECI-must be held fully accountable for any illegal, arbitrary or biased actions carried out under its supervision or direction,” the letter said.

She also highlighted concerns about the Family Register, which was widely accepted as a valid identity document during the SIR exercise in Bihar. According to her, it is now reportedly being rejected through informal WhatsApp communications from the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, without any formal notification or statutory order. She described this selective and unexplained exclusion as raising “serious concerns of discrimination and arbitrariness.”

“It has further been brought to our notice that the Family Register, which was extensively accepted as a valid proof of identity during the SIR exercise in Bihar, is now reportedly being denied as a valid document through an informal communication issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer via WhatsApp message, without any formal notification or statutory order to that effect. Such selective and unexplained exclusion of a previously accepted document raises serious concerns of discrimination and arbitrariness,” CM Mamata said in her letter. (ANI)

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