Destroying Universal Adult Suffrage
A collective of former civil servants has issued a strongly worded open statement warning that the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar threatens the very foundation of Indian democracy–universal adult suffrage.

In their statement, the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), comprising retired members of the All India and Central Services, said the revision exercise risked disenfranchising millions of citizens, particularly the poor and marginalised, who lack adequate documentation to prove their citizenship. The group emphasised that it has no political affiliations and is guided solely by constitutional values of neutrality and impartiality.

According to the CCG, India’s electoral system historically functioned on the principle of inclusion, presuming citizenship unless disputed, with the ECI proactively ensuring that even those in remote and marginalised communities were brought into the electoral process. The current exercise, they argue, reverses this principle by placing the burden of proof on voters themselves.

The former bureaucrats noted that earlier a liberal approach to documentation was adopted, acknowledging the widespread lack of official papers among the poor. By contrast, the SIR has introduced rigid requirements that could strip voting rights from millions who have been registered in successive elections since 2003.

Particular concern was raised over the ECI’s decision to privilege the 2003 electoral rolls. Electors included in that year’s roll are exempted from providing fresh documentation, and their children are also eligible through this route. The CCG said this created an “untenable, unjust and discriminatory” hierarchy, ignoring all subsequent rolls published in the last two decades, including those used in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The statement accuses the ECI of effectively introducing the controversial National Register of Citizens (NRC) “through the backdoor” under the guise of sanitising voter lists.

The CCG cited multiple media reports, particularly video investigations by journalist AjitAnjum, showing widespread irregularities. Evidence allegedly includes forged signatures, bulk-filling of forms by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), enrolments of deceased individuals, and staged photographs of villagers holding voter forms, which were later confiscated by officials.

The CCG said the “breakneck” pace of the SIR, combined with inadequate infrastructure and opaque procedures, has vitiated the entire process. The group warned that the continuation and possible expansion of this exercise beyond Bihar could become “one of the biggest threats Indian democracy has faced, from the very institution that is meant to uphold the system of universal suffrage”.

Stating that their petitions to the ECI in earlier matters had been “ignored and casually dismissed”, the civil servants addressed their letter directly to the public, urging the mobilisation of opinion to pressure the Commission into corrective action.
JW

Fencing at Indo-Bangladesh Border
On 20 August 2025, the Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Mr.NityanandRai, informed the Upper House of Parliament about fencing and infiltration issues along the India–Bangladesh border. We strongly reject this statement as unrealistic and naïve. The Minister has unfortunately overlooked the important recommendations of the Report No. 203 on Border Security made by members of Standing Committee and was tabled before the Parliament of India. The report (para 2.4.5) clearly recommended urgent action regarding houses of villagers situated directly along the international border.

But the present MHA has failed miserably to address the issue of shifting villages and/or villagers who are forced to reside between the International Border (IB) and the border fencing (para 2.4.7). When the question of fencing arises, it is not merely about the issue of land acquisition, but also about ensuring the safety, security, dignity and rights of Indian citizens who live in these border villages. The lands located between the fencing and the International Border Pillars (IBPs) are owned and cultivated by villagers. If such lands are required for national interest, the government must come forward with a clear and transparent proposal for compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement of the affected population (para 2.4.8).

These issues have been raised for decades, yet it is disheartening that neither the Government of India nor the Government of West Bengal has taken them seriously. A rough estimate suggests that erection of border fencing will directly affect 20–30 lakh Indian citizens of the villages near I-B border, whose lands lie along the border.

Thousands of petitions from villagers questioning the fencing have been submitted to district, state, and central authorities, as well as to human rights institutions, but most remain unheard. In many areas, fencing and even Out Posts (OPs) have been constructed 5–6 kilometers inside Indian Territory, effectively cutting cultivators off from their own land. Such policies are not only denying farmers their livelihood, but also forcing large numbers of people into distress and forced migration.

Though international border is a fragile issue, the principle should be maintained uniformly. Buildings of modern fencing with acquisition of fertile and cultivable lands lying behind the fence are irreparable loss of the farmers. The parliamentarians also thought of such condition (para 4.1.2.). But such issues were not considered by the heads of the governments.

BanglarManabadhikarSuraksha Mancha (MASUM) strongly urges before the MHA, GOI and Govt WB to think about those people.
Kirity Roy, Secretary, MASUM

Halt Bulldozer Rampage
Hundreds of slum dwellers from 13 slums and Jhuggi Jhopdi (JJ) clusters across the capital gathered on Sunday [August 10] at HK Surjeet Bhawan, Delhi, for a mass convention on housing rights. The convention, held under the banner of the Awaas Adhikar Jan Andolan (People’s Movement for Housing Rights), gave a final warning to the BJP government to immediately stop the bulldozer rampage on the homes of the working class.

Over the past several months, the capital has witnessed a continuous spate of demolitions, displacing thousands of working-class families who toil daily to keep the city running. Government agencies have branded slum dwellers’ homes as “unauthorised” or “illegal,” even as official data shows that more than 73% of Delhi’s residents live in unauthorised colonies. Instead of ensuring dignified housing with basic civic amenities such as water supply, toilets, sewage lines, and roads, the “triple engine” BJP government has continued to unleash bulldozer action.

Residents of colonies that have either faced demolitions or resisted legally–including Wazirpur, Indira Camp, Dhobighat, Madrasi Camp, Bhumiheen Camp, Jai Hind Camp, and Lal Bagh–participated in the convention.

Bibi Akhtari from Dhobighat said, “We constantly live under the threat of bulldozer action by the DDA. A flyover is being constructed on the Yamuna floodplain, but the poor appear to be a problem for the government.”

Shreya from Jai Hind Camp highlighted the dire conditions: “Residents have been living without electricity for more than a month now in this humid Delhi heat. In 2025, thousands of slum dwellers in South Delhi are being punished for being Bengali-speaking workers.”

Speaking at the convention, Sucheta De of CPI (ML) said, “From bulldozer action to vote-chori through SIR, the BJP Government has unleashed an all-out attack on the citizenship rights of Indians. The collective strength of slum dwellers in Delhi will guarantee that all slums and JJ clusters are brought under the protection of law.”

The event was jointly organized by CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI, CPI(M), RSP, Forward Bloc, and CGPI, who pledged to intensify the struggle until dignified housing rights are ensured for all slum dwellers of Delhi.
ML Update

Israel suspended from IOAA
By a significant majority, the Board of International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) voted to suspend Israel from the Olympiad. From next year, Israel will not be recognised as an official national team although students from Israel can participate as individuals.

This is a tiny victory towards the larger objective of halting the genocide in Gaza and ending the occupation in Palestine. It is a significant one, and hopefully it will set a precedent for other Olympiads and scientific and cultural events.

The Olympiads are seen as significant in Israel. So everybody hopes that this will convey a message to the Israeli government and society: the world is outraged by what is happening in Palestine, and Israel must immediately change its behaviour.

Peace-loving people around the world greatly appreciate the president of the IOAA, Prof AniketSule, for his integrity and commitment to democratic values and for placing the letter written by concerned citizens before the board for an open discussion and vote.
Suvrat Raju

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Frontier
Vol 58, No. 12, Sep 14 - 20, 2025