TMC slams EC for 'forcing' elderly people, PWDs to turn up at SIR hearing camps

Kolkata, Dec 28 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress on Sunday lashed out at the Election Commission accusing it of treating elderly and ailing citizens, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) to attend the hearing at camps away from their residences as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The hearing of "unmapped" electors began on December 27.

TMC MP Partha Bhowmik alleged in a press conference that the EC has summoned elderly and ailing persons who were categorised "unmapped" due to some discrepancies in their enumeration forms.

"This is nothing short of torture. The EC sends polling personnel to the residences of elderly persons due to mobility issue. Why could they not follow the same procedure this time?" he said.

Bhowmik asserted that the TMC leaders had repeatedly flagged this issue during their meeting with the EC but apparently it was ignored by the poll panel. "We condemn such a behaviour." Echoing him, senior minister Sashi Panja described the EC's attitude as "inhuman." "Elderly persons, ailing and differently abled people are facing great difficulty in reaching the camps at the appointed date and hour. The EC must immediately arrange for their hearing to take place at homes by lowering the age limit for such a facility of 85 years," she said.

Panja also said while there are reports that a total of 1.36 crore people would be called for hearing, there remains a logical discrepancy as the EC has not spelt out on what count they have been left out in the provisional voters list despite coming up with data.

The senior TMC leader demanded that the EC publish a break-up of the categories under which people were called for hearing. PTI SUS NN