No chance of Bangladeshis misusing Khasi surnames during SIR: East Khasi Hills DC

East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal has dismissed concerns that Bangladeshi nationals could misuse Khasi surnames to get their names included in the electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Addressing the media, Baranwal said the verification process put in place by the Election Commission of India (ECI) is robust enough to prevent ineligible persons from being validated as voters.

He acknowledged that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are working under a tight schedule and are facing challenges in completing the exercise within the stipulated timeframe.

"The BLOs are indeed facing difficulties. It was a steep timeline for them to cover all households within one month and also ensure digitisation. Ideally, electors are supposed to fill the forms themselves, but many are requesting BLOs to do it on their behalf, which is taking additional time," he said.

The Deputy Commissioner said BLOs were extending all possible assistance to ensure that no eligible Indian citizen is left out of the final electoral roll.

Explaining the safeguards built into the SIR process, Baranwal said only those who were already registered as electors in the 2025 electoral roll are being issued enumeration forms.

"If a person was not a registered elector in 2025, they will not even receive an enumeration form because this is not an enrolment exercise. It is only meant to validate those who are already enrolled," he said.

He added that another layer of verification requires the elector or an immediate family member, such as a parent, to have been enrolled in the 2005 electoral roll.

"I absolutely see no possibility wherein non-Indian citizens who have adopted Khasi surnames, as apprehended by certain pressure groups, will be able to pass the SIR exercise," Baranwal asserted.

He further said that even if an ineligible person had been inadvertently included in the 2025 electoral roll, the ongoing revision would identify and remove such names.

"This exercise is meant to identify genuine Indian citizens, validate their enrolment and ensure that such cases do not take advantage of the Indian electoral process," the Deputy Commissioner added.