IAMC Condemns West Bengal’s SIR as Systematic Disenfranchisement of Muslims
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 3, 2026) — The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) today issued a strong condemnation of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, which has resulted in the deletion or suspension of voting rights of over 12 millions citizens, with Muslim and marginalized communities bearing a disproportionate and deeply alarming share of the burden.
The final electoral roll published by the ECI on February 28, following a 116-day exercise, reveals a crisis of democratic participation on a staggering scale. The SIR final list reveals that 61.7 lakh (6.2 million) voters are marked as “deleted.” In addition, over 60 lakh (6 million) electors are marked as “under adjudication” status, leaving them in legal limbo just as the electoral machinery kicks into high gear. Together, these two categories represent well over 1.2 crore (12 million) citizens whose democratic rights are now effectively suspended.
According to The Wire, data analysis indicates a strong positive correlation (+0.736) between the percentage of the Muslim population in a constituency and the proportion of voters placed under adjudication. Within the 41 high-minority areas where the minority population exceeds 50%, direct deletions are much lower, averaging a 5.61% deletion rate. Yet, the adjudication rate in these zones skyrockets, with an astonishing average of 21.41% of the electorate currently marked as “under adjudication”.
Muslim-dominated districts like Murshidabad and Malda, collectively have 19 lakh such voters. In fact, these two districts bordering Bangladesh have almost one third of cases under adjudication. There are 4.8 lakh cases under adjudication in Uttar Dinajpur, 5.9 lakh in North 24 Parganas, and 5.2 lakh in South 24 Parganas. These districts also have a high percentage of minority population.
“We are gravely concerned that the SIR has functioned as a targeted operation against Muslim voters and marginalized communities. What is unfolding in West Bengal is a constitutional crisis. When over 12 million voters, concentrated mostly in Muslim-majority districts, are stripped of their democratic rights without explanation or recourse, we are witnessing the systematic dismantling of minority citizenship in India,” said IAMC President, Mohammed Jawad.
The IAMC calls upon the Supreme Court of India, which is currently seized of this matter, to review the ECI’s decision on voter deletions, expedite the adjudication process, and ensure that no eligible voter, regardless of religion or ethnicity, or community, is prevented from casting their ballot in the upcoming elections.
The Government of India must recognize that the right to vote is a fundamental pillar of democratic citizenship, and that any process which systematically strips Muslim citizens and marginalized communities of that right is an affront to the constitution of India.
We also call on the international community and human rights organizations to monitor the situation in West Bengal closely as elections approach, and to call out any attempt to alter electoral outcomes through administrative disenfranchisement.
For media inquiries, interviews, or additional information, please contact media.info@iamc.com
