Residents of Muttharasanallur in Tamil Nadu's Trichy district staged a demonstration on Tuesday, voicing their confusion and concern over receiving official notices despite having correctly filled out their Special Intensive Revision (SIR) forms for the electoral roll.
Residents Gather Seeking Clarification
A group of dozens, predominantly from the Muslim community, assembled in front of the Muttharasanallur panchayat office. Their primary grievance was the receipt of notices asking them to appear before officials for document verification, even though their names were already included in the electoral list. M Syed Mustafa, 43, highlighted that eight out of thirteen members in his extended family had received such notices, sparking fears about their voting rights being threatened based on their identity.
Official Explanation of the SIR Process
Authorities moved quickly to clarify the situation. They stated that the notices were part of the standard Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process underway in the Srirangam constituency. Block-level officers had delivered notices to approximately 6,300 electors across the constituency. The purpose was not to question their eligibility but to verify documents and categorize voters based on their voting history in previous elections.
Officials firmly rejected any allegations of communal discrimination. They emphasized that the exercise aimed to determine whether individuals had voted in past elections, as required under the SIR guidelines. An electoral official told TOI that appearing for the inquiry was not compulsory and that voters' names would remain on the electoral roll regardless. The officials would attempt to confirm voting information using existing records or place names in a 'no information' category if details were unavailable.
Reassurance on Voting Rights
The core message from the administration was one of reassurance. They explained that the notices were solely for documentation purposes and would in no way impact the fundamental right to vote. The gathering dispersed after officials provided these clarifications, aiming to allay the residents' apprehensions about the seemingly redundant procedural step after他们已经完成了SIR表格的提交.
