The United Nations has expressed concern regarding discrimination against minority communities during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the electoral rolls, particularly in West Bengal. Three UN Special Rapporteurs have voiced their dissatisfaction with the SIR process. India is committed to upholding international human rights law, and discrimination against minorities runs counter to this law.
Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Nicolas Levrat, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan, and Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Nazila Ghanea sent the letter to the central government on May 1. In it, they sought the government’s views regarding allegations that Bengali-speaking Muslim voters were being targeted through the SIR process.
Additionally, an explanation has been sought regarding the measures taken to ensure that eligible voters are not deprived of their voting rights in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
It is worth noting that last May, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Election Commission’s SIR process. The Court stated that the Election Commission possesses the constitutional authority to conduct such special revision exercises, and the objective of this initiative is to prepare an accurate and reliable electoral roll to ensure free and fair elections.
A letter from UN special rapporteurs expresses serious concern regarding the manner in which the SIR process has been conducted. It is alleged that a large number of names have been removed from the electoral rolls, a move that could adversely affect many Bengali-speaking Muslims and members of other minority communities. Concerns have been raised that, due to the tendency to label them as ‘foreigners’ or ‘illegal immigrants’—particularly in West Bengal—genuine Indian citizens may also have been unfairly excluded from the revised electoral rolls.
The letter further mentions that, during the second phase of the SIR, many individuals complained that their names had been dropped from the voter list despite having submitted valid identity documents. According to the complaints, the names of Muslim voters were excluded in disproportionately high numbers.Even minor discrepancies in the spelling of names across various documents—something not unusual in India for administrative reasons—have been used as a pretext to exclude voters’ names. UN officials have stated that they have received complaints regarding such discrepancies.
These UN officials have also expressed concern regarding the SIR (Systematic Information Verification) process conducted in Bihar. They stated that this process raises the risk of disenfranchising a large number of people and casting doubt on their citizenship status.
The letter notes allegations that an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based system was used to verify voter information, raising questions about its transparency, potential errors, and bias.
The letter also expresses concern regarding certain remarks made by various political leaders and government officials concerning the SIR. According to the UN, statements by some high-ranking political and government figures could fuel discriminatory rhetoric against Muslims, Bengali speakers, and other minority communities.It has been alleged that several top leaders, including the Union Home Minister, have made remarks linking the removal of names from the voters’ list to the identification of “illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators.” This has created a tendency to conflate Indian Muslim citizens with foreigners.
The letter further mentions that the Home Minister had referred to the ‘detect, delete, and deport’ policy in Parliament—a policy alleged to have been used to target a specific religious community.
UN special officials have clarified, however, that they do not wish to reach a definitive conclusion regarding the veracity of these allegations. Nevertheless, noting that similar concerns have been raised in the past, they stated that if the allegations prove true, they could be considered a serious violation of multiple international human rights obligations.According to them, certain statements made by high-ranking government officials regarding the SIR could be construed as inciting discrimination under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). It is worth noting that India ratified this international treaty in 1979.
It is worth noting that the Election Commission initiated the SIR (Special Integrated Revision) in Bihar in June 2025. Subsequently, the process was extended to ten states—including West Bengal—and three Union Territories. In West Bengal, the names of numerous voters were removed from the electoral rolls as a result of various measures implemented in compliance with Supreme Court directives. The letter mentions that applications from approximately 3.4 million of these individuals remain pending before the relevant tribunals.
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