The protest was co-organised by civil society, human rights, farmers’, Dalit, youth and student organisations, and drew students, activists, academics, professionals and workers. (Express Photo)Hundreds of people formed a human chain at Hyderabad’s Tank Bund along Hussain Sagar Lake on Saturday evening, demanding the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the repeal of the CEC Act, 2023. They also demanded the immediate restoration of all deleted voters, claiming that the SIR exercise could disenfranchise nearly half of Telangana’s electorate.“We refuse to be silenced by the repressive Modi Government which stands exposed,” one protester said.Waving the Tricolour and raising slogans against mass disenfranchisement, participants accused Kumar of acting as an “agent of the BJP Govt”. They said the two other Election Commissioners had raised 14 formal objections over the past year, which were disregarded. With 13.4 crore voters reportedly deleted from electoral rolls across India, one protester said, the SIR was an exercise in mass deletion rather than voter verification. The protesters said young people across India were leading a peaceful resistance against the SIR, with Telangana part of the movement. (Express Photo)The protest was co-organised by civil society, human rights, farmers’, Dalit, youth and student organisations, and drew students, activists, academics, professionals and workers.Participants questioned the rationale for the SIR, alleging it could lead to the deletion of nearly half the voters in Telangana. They cited 73 lakh deletions and notices issued to 93 lakh people as “doubtful” voters, calling this the highest proportion in the country. They described the exercise as a case of the government choosing voters rather than voters choosing the government.The protesters said young people across India were leading a peaceful resistance against the SIR, with Telangana part of the movement. Condemning police violence against protesters, particularly in Delhi, they asserted that peaceful protest was an inalienable constitutional right.Hyderabad has seen several protests against the SIR in October, including a public hearing where people affected by the exercise deposed before a panel. Participants said the process had traumatised lakhs of citizens, particularly women, the working poor, Muslims and transgender persons, while adding to the burden on Booth Level Officers (BLOs).Story continues below this adThey also criticised the CEC Act, 2023, saying it undermined fairness in the appointment of Election Commissioners and granted them blanket immunity.Organisers distributed leaflets on alleged large-scale voter deletions in Hyderabad and Telangana and resolved to intensify the campaign across the state until the SIR was scrapped.SIR is currently underway in Telangana, with the final rolls to be published on November 9.Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance. Expertise and Experience Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues: High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules. Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes. Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak. Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More