Actor Prakash Raj Hears Kodagu Villagers’ SIR Concerns, Demands Withdrawal of Revision Exercise
Murnad: Actor and activist Prakash Raj on Tuesday heard the grievances of hundreds of villagers, mostly from tribal and backward communities, over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls at Palemadu in Murnad, Kodagu.
Volunteers associated with Prakash Raj, who had surveyed seven villages in the district, identified more than 600 voters flagged under the Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead or Others (ASDDO) category ahead of the programme. Villagers alleged that technical errors and bureaucratic oversights had left several genuine voters facing difficulties in establishing their eligibility, according to TNIE
Residents said some voters had been wrongly categorised as permanently shifted or deceased, while others faced spelling errors and lacked necessary documents. Daily wage workers and estate labourers, particularly those living in estate line houses, said frequent movement between residences made it difficult to provide permanent proof of address.
“When the government has not provided us permanent shelter or land, how can we produce the required documents?” a resident asked.
Hussain, a Palemadu resident, pointed to what he described as an error in the process, saying his twin sons had received official notices questioning their eligibility because their recorded ages differed by less than nine months.
Adivasi residents and community leaders also expressed concern that people possessing government-issued tribal certificates establishing their nativity could still face difficulties in retaining their names on the electoral rolls.
Addressing the gathering, Raj criticised the SIR exercise, calling it unconstitutional and alleging that it disproportionately affects marginalised communities, including Muslims, Christians and Adivasis. He demanded that the exercise be withdrawn completely.
Raj claimed that 1.08 crore voters in Karnataka had been flagged under the ASDDO category and said similar concerns affected more than 13 crore voters across the country.
He said he had collected field data from across Karnataka over the past 10 days and would submit a detailed report at the Vidhana Soudha. The findings will also be presented at a conference in New Delhi on October 1, he said.
“The factual data collected from the villagers will be presented at Vidhana Soudha, and representatives from other States will present the loopholes concerning SIR at the New Delhi meeting,” he said.
Mr. Raj also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and assured the gathering that activists would continue their efforts to ensure that no eligible citizen was deprived of the right to vote.
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