Prominent writers, poets, academics and public intellectuals from Kerala—including K. Sachidanandan, Sara Joseph,K Sahadevan , Dr. Kadeeja Mumtaz , Kureeppuzha Sreekumar, Rafeeq Ahamed, Anwar Ali, alongside several other eminent signatories—have issued a strong statement under the banner of Wake Up Keralam condemning the arbitrary removal of veteran journalist R. Rajagopal from the electoral rolls and the subsequent denial of his passport renewal.
Describing the episode as a warning of the wider dangers posed by the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the signatories pointed out that Rajagopal’s case exposes how an exercise brought in purportedly o cleanse electoral rolls is instead threatening the democratic and citizenship rights of millions of ordinary Indians.
Read the full statement here:
Wake Up Keralam strongly condemns the arbitrary removal of prominent journalist and former Editor of The Telegraph, R. Rajagopal, from the electoral rolls and the subsequent denial of renewal of his passport by the authorities.
The fact that even a well-known journalist of repute like Mr. R. Rajagopal, who has contributed significantly to public discourse over decades, is subjected to such treatment exposes the deep structural flaws and opaque procedures underlying the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. If a prominent public figure with established credentials can be disenfranchised and face civic uncertainty, the predicament of ordinary citizens, particularly the marginalised and the less privileged, can only be imagined as far more severe and distressing.
The social consequences of the SIR exercise on common Indians are profound and alarming. In West Bengal alone, over 90 lakh names have been struck off the electoral rolls, with nearly 27 to 32 lakh cases still pending adjudication. Across various states, millions of people — especially the poor, women, migrants, the elderly, and minorities who often lack legacy documents — are facing disenfranchisement. This has a cascading effect, resulting in the denial of welfare benefits, ration cards, and access to government schemes, as several states reportedly link entitlements to voter lists. Families are forced to spend months in anxiety, rummaging through old records, approaching tribunals, and living under the constant fear of statelessness. Tragically, there have been reports of deaths linked to the stress and harassment caused by this process.
Intended to cleanse electoral rolls of ineligible voters, the SIR risks becoming a tool of exclusion that undermines democratic participation and fundamental citizenship rights. It breeds division, suspicion, and bureaucratic harassment instead of strengthening public trust. While periodic cleaning of voter lists is a legitimate exercise, the process must accord primacy to inclusion, transparency, natural justice, and swift grievance redressal, with presumptive citizenship for long-term residents.
Mr. Rajagopal’s plight serves as a stark wake-up call. When a veteran editor encounters such difficulties, it lays bare the extreme vulnerability of the common citizen. Urgent judicial and administrative interventions are essential to safeguard the foundational rights to vote and travel, and to prevent the SIR from eroding the social fabric of Indian democracy.
Wake Up Keralam
Signed by:
- Prof. K. Sachidanandan
- Pro.Sara Joseph
- Kureeppuzha Sreekumar
- K.Sahadevan
- Dr.S.Faizi
- Dr. Kadeeja Mumtaz
- Gopikrishnan
- Rafeekk Ahmed
- Anwar Ali
- Haridas Kolathur
- Smitha .P.Kumar
- Sarat Cheloor
- Pro.Kusumam Joseph
- Rosamma Thomas
- Jessy Skaria
- Amina Saheer
- Pretheesh B
- Vandhana Janaky
- Babu K K
- Ajitha Usman
- Susan John
- Ravi Paloor
“A democracy is measured not only by the right to vote, but by how it protects the dignity and rights of every citizen. When a respected journalist faces arbitrary disenfranchisement and administrative uncertainty, it raises important questions about transparency, due process, and the safeguarding of constitutional values. Thank you, AIDEM, for bringing such critical issues into the public domain.”