World

Indian journalists condemn 'denial' of voting, passport rights of prominent editor

Jun 30, 2026

New Delhi [India], June 30: A leading journalists' body in India has condemned what it says is the denial of voting and passport rights to a former editor. R Rajagopal, who worked at The Telegraph newspaper, says his passport renewal was held up after his name was removed from the electoral roll in West Bengal during a controversial voter list revision.
Known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the exercise is being carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to identify ineligible voters. Critics say it has wrongly removed millions of eligible voters, a charge the ECI rejects.
In a statement, the Editors Guild of India said Rajagopal's case "highlights the misery that millions of Indians are being put through" because of the SIR exercise.
Source: Qatar Tribune