Amit Shah Defends SIR Drive, Says Preventing Infiltration Key to National Security; Mamata Banerjee Terms Exercise ‘Chaotic and Dangerous’

Amid an intensifying national debate over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that preventing infiltration is essential for safeguarding India’s security and protecting the integrity of its democratic processes. He criticised Opposition parties for resisting the SIR exercise, calling it “unfortunate” that some political groups were attempting to “weaken the campaign to remove infiltrators.”

Though Shah did not name any party, his remarks followed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s sharp criticism of the SIR process, which she described as “chaotic, coercive and dangerous.”

Emphasising the importance of the revision drive, Shah said the Border Security Force (BSF) was working relentlessly along India’s borders to stop infiltration. “The SIR has been initiated by the Election Commission to cleanse and verify the voter list,” he said. “We are committed to identifying and removing every infiltrator. Only Indian citizens have the right to choose the Chief Minister and Prime Minister. No infiltrator can be allowed to contaminate our democratic system.”

Shah appealed to citizens to fully cooperate with the Election Commission during the verification exercise and cautioned political parties allegedly protecting infiltrators that the electorate would decisively reject such positions, particularly in states heading to polls.

Mamata Banerjee Flags ‘Alarming’ Irregularities in SIR

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a strongly worded letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, warned that the SIR process in the state had reached a “deeply alarming stage.” She alleged that the exercise was being conducted in an “unplanned and dangerous” manner that had “crippled the system from day one.”

Banerjee said officials and citizens were being subjected to “extreme pressure,” leading to incorrect or incomplete voter roll entries, thereby risking disenfranchisement of genuine voters and compromising the credibility of the electoral roll. She accused the Election Commission of launching the SIR “without basic preparedness, adequate planning, or clear communication.”

Terming the process “structurally unsound,” the Chief Minister urged the CEC to halt coercive measures, provide proper training and support to field officers, and thoroughly reassess the methodology and timeline of the ongoing exercise.

“If this path is not corrected immediately, the consequences for the system and citizens will be irreversible,” Banerjee warned, calling for “responsibility, humanity, and decisive corrective action” from the Election Commission.