Parakala Prabhakar Prakash Raj demand scrapping of SIR

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Opposition to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is gaining momentum, with economist Parakala Prabhakar, actor and activist Prakash Raj, and members of the public participating in a human chain protest at Tank Bund in Hyderabad on Saturday. Prabhakar criticized the SIR exercise, alleging that it undermines democratic principles and could result in eligible voters being excluded from electoral rolls.

He said the objective should be to ensure that the electoral process remains transparent, fair, and free from irregularities. Addressing the protesters, Prabhakar said the demonstration reflected Hyderabad’s determination to exercise its democratic right to protest. He emphasized that public dissent could not be suppressed by restricting protests to specific locations. Drawing a comparison with Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, a prominent venue for public demonstrations, Prabhakar said that the spirit of protest was not confined to a particular physical space.

A few days before the demonstration, Prabhakar had posted a video message on social media criticizing the Election Commission over the SIR exercise. Describing the process as a sham, he alleged that electoral mandates were being stolen and urged citizens to join the protest in Hyderabad. Prabhakar called on participants to demand the scrapping of the SIR exercise and the restoration of all eligible voters to the electoral rolls. The protesters were also urged to demand the repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners and greater accountability and impartiality from the Election Commission of India. The protest comes amid growing public debate over the revision of electoral rolls and concerns about the potential exclusion of eligible voters. Those opposing the exercise have called for safeguards to ensure that no legitimate voter is deprived of the right to participate in elections. The demonstrators maintained that protecting the integrity of electoral rolls and ensuring fair access to voting were essential to preserving public confidence in India’s democratic institutions.