EC to hold special SIR camps in Kolkata's red-light districts on Dec 2 & 3

The initial phase of the SIR ends on December 4, with the draft voter list scheduled for release on December 9.

The Election Commission is likely to hold special camps in Kolkata’s red-light districts on December 2 and 3 to address difficulties faced by sex workers during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, PTI has reported.

The move comes amid growing concerns in areas such as Sonagachi and other red-light hubs, where sex workers have reported significant challenges in completing SIR enumeration forms.

The initial phase of the SIR ends on December 4, with the draft voter list scheduled for release on December 9.

“Despite the timeline, the commission has decided to organise the camps before the preliminary phase concludes,” says a senior official cited by PTI.

On November 21, three organisations working with sex workers, Society of Human Development and Social Action, Usha Multipurpose Co-operative Society Limited and Amra Padatik, emailed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) flagging widespread enumeration issues.

“Their concerns prompted CEO Manoj Agarwal to promise special hearing facilities in red-light districts, including Sonagachi. The CEO also indicated he may personally attend one of the camps,” the official has been cited by PTI.

Following this, the CEO asked district election officers and electoral registration officers to deploy personnel to assist sex workers at the sites.

Mahasweta Mukherjee, advocacy officer at Amra Padatik, said many sex workers were struggling with filling out forms. “We have requested the CEO’s office to conduct similar camps in red-light areas across West Bengal,” she said.

Officials said the request for statewide camps is under consideration.

Mukherjee visited the CEO’s office on Saturday to submit a detailed letter highlighting problems in Sonagachi, Sethbagan, Rambagan, Jorabagan, Kidderpore, Kalighat and Bowbazar. “The organisations requested a camp on December 2, citing specific assembly constituencies and part numbers,” the official added.

In its response, the CEO’s office said officials would visit the listed locations on December 2 and 3 to resolve enumeration issues on the spot.

Satabdi Saha, secretary of Amra Padatik, said many sex workers had left the areas due to fear and confusion over filling the forms, adding that the commission’s intervention might help restore confidence.