Bengaluru, Oct 8: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor-activist Prakash Raj joined protests at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park yesterday against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
People from different sections of society, including women and students, rallied on Thursday to express their opinions over the alleged irregularities involved in the electoral roll revision exercise.
The gathering was organised as a people’s tribunal for people who have been affected by the SIR exercise in Karnataka. Protesters called for the electoral roll revision process to stop and raised slogans against the Election Commission and Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstration will be followed by a “Chappal protest” in solidarity with women, they said.
At Freedom Park the slogans were raised continuously as people protested over the electoral roll revision process. For instance, poster boards were hung at the venue saying “Error 404 – Name Not Found”, “It’s done bro, resign sir” and “Don’t erase us, hear us”. Other slogans were against alleged “vote theft” and demanded that Gyanesh Kumar step down.
At the protest site, posters depicting the freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose were also displayed. A poster also featured the phrase “Grand Theft Democracy” which speaks to the protesters’ claims as well as the broader concern they have about the electoral process.
The demonstration took place amid a wider political and civic debate over the SIR exercise and the process used to verify and revise electoral rolls. Supporters of the protest have raised concerns about voters whose names may have been removed or whose records may need to be checked further.
It has particularly worried opposition groups, civil society organisations and activists who have called for greater transparency in the process.
One of the protesters, Bengaluru-based software engineer Mujibur Rehman, said participation in the demonstration was linked to losing a right to vote. He said his name was deleted from the electoral roll and he was unaware of who submitted the Form-7 application for the removal.
The Form-7 process is used for requesting deletion of a name from an electoral roll under specified circumstances. Deletion applications have become a major point of debate over electoral rolls revision and protesters are calling for some clearer procedure for such applications to be submitted and confirmed.
The presence of Prakash Raj and Dhruv Rathee helped bring the Bengaluru protest more public attention. Both have previously discussed political and civic issues, while Dipke and the Citizens’ Justice-related campaign have made noise about the SIR process. Their participation brought together activists, public figures and members of the public in Freedom Park.
The people’s tribunal was set up to support those who, in turn, have been affected by the electoral roll revision, the organizers said. They were able to voice concerns and tell their experiences of voter registration and voter removal from electoral rolls.
The protesters also used slogans on democracy and voting rights. Chants like “Dictatorship will not be tolerated” and “Gyanesh Kumar, gaddi leave your chair” reflected anger in some parts of the crowd. But these statements represent the views of the protesters and organisers at the demonstration.
The police set up tight security around the protest site. A lot of people were expected to gather at Freedom Park and security was in place to watch the demonstration as people shouted slogans and put up posters.
But Bengaluru’s protest adds to the ongoing public debate over the SIR exercise, electoral roll verification and voter participation. Those in favour of the revision process have said the electoral rolls need to be updated and verifiable regularly and opposition to the plan has centered on the possibility that voters who have been identified as eligible are denied due to a name removal or a new record.
So SIR is likely to remain a key political and civic issue as stakeholders discuss the process, safeguards and mechanisms available to voters. Citizens who believe their names have been wrongly deleted or affected during the revision process need to verify their electoral records and the availability of appropriate correction or appeal mechanisms remains at the heart of the problem.
The Freedom Park protest ended with participants continuing to call for changes in the SIR process and for election officials to be held accountable. Organisers plan more demonstrations and there is going to be more public protest in Karnataka.
