SIR Used To 'Harass Bengal', Will Move Court Against 'Inhumane' Conduct: Mamata Banerjee

South 24 Parganas: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a public meeting on Monday that she would move the Supreme Court against the inhumane conduct of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Addressing a meeting in Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district, she reportedly alleged that the arbitrariness with which the exercise took place led to deaths, and hospitalisation of several people. 

Expressing her intention to move court on Tuesday (January 6th, 2026), she added that she would take it up with the top court if needed. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo further alleged that names were arbitrarily struck off the voter rolls, turning the exercise into a constant source of fear among the people in the poll-bound state. 

"How would BJP leaders feel if someone made their old parents stand in line to prove their identity?" she asked. She claimed that terminally ill people, as well as senior citizens, were compelled to stand in long queues as a part of the process. "People above the age of 85 are being summoned, some appearing with oxygen support. Pregnant women are also being summoned. After living in this country for so long, do they still need to prove that they are voters and citizens of this nation?" she said.

"The Election Commission is running on WhatsApp. I am very sorry to say this, but one day such an Election Commission will vanish," Banerjee said while slamming the poll body in the meeting. 

The TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee had earlier claimed that 45 people had lost their lives, while six were hospitalised, and 29 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) attempted suicide during what was expected to be a routine administrative exercise. Referring to his remarks, Mamata Banerjee said that the SIR process has been used to “harass Bengal." 

On Saturday, Banerjee had written to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, criticising the EC for a lack of transparency and clarity regarding the objectives, procedures, and timelines of SIR in Bengal. She had laid the foundation stone for the Ganganagar Setu over the Muriganga river earlier today, following which she addressed the meeting in Sagar Island.

(With inputs from ANI)

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