Kargil hero in Bengal voter drive: Ex-soldier queues up to reclaim voting rights after SIR gap

KOLKATA: A Kargil war hero, who was in Leh protecting India’s borders when the last Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was held in Bengal in 2002, is among the 32 lakh-odd citizens queuing up for hearings to get back their voting rights.


Sanjib Bhattacharya, 64, who served in the Indian Army’s Bofors unit from 1980 to 2006 and was posted near Tiger Hill during the 1999 Kargil conflict, had to join a long queue at the Barasat Block-I office with documents in hand on Wednesday. Since he was away on border duty during the last SIR in Bengal, his name was not included in the 2002 voters’ list.




All such citizens — ‘unmapped voters’ in SIR parlance — have to appear for hearings to get their names included in the final voters’ list, to be published in Feb.


In the queue, Bhattacharya was accompanied by his two brothers — both of whom were in the Army, too, and are ‘unmapped’ because of their job assignments outside Bengal in 2002 — and a few other family members.


“We three brothers, along with my daughters and nephews, were asked to appear for the hearing. We faced harassment because of this. But as former Army jawans, it is natural for us to follow rules,” Bhattacharya said.


One of his daughters is a teacher at a private school, and the other works in a managerial position at a private hospital.


Barasat residents expressed anger over what they termed harassment of a former soldier and his family.


“Due to the nature of their work, they spent most of their lives outside their hometown. They finally returned home after their retirement, only to face harassment because of the SIR,” said Soumen Chakraborty, a neighbour of the Bhattacharyas.


“It is shameful to see people who protected the country stand in a queue to prove their citizenship and reclaim their voting rights.”


Local councillor Champak Das said, “Sanjib babu and his brothers are our pride and are well known in Barasat. Election Commission should have made special arrangements for people like them. They were posted outside Bengal for long periods because of their jobs.

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