"Manipur SIR may exclude displaced voters": Kuki Inpi flags documentation crisis

The Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribes, has raised concerns that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Manipur could result in the exclusion of a significant number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) unless authorities address the documentation challenges arising from the ethnic conflict.

In a memorandum submitted to the Governor of Manipur and the Chief Electoral Officer, the organisation said thousands of displaced people had lost their homes, belongings and essential identity documents during the conflict. The loss of documents, coupled with the fact that many IDPs remain away from their original places of residence, has made voter verification difficult, it said.

The Kuki Inpi said the situation posed a risk of genuine and eligible voters being left out of the electoral rolls through circumstances beyond their control.

“The present circumstances risk excluding a significant number of genuine and eligible voters from the electoral roll,” the organisation said, pointing to the difficulties faced by displaced citizens in retaining, retrieving or replacing documents required for verification.

The organisation also highlighted the financial and administrative difficulties involved in obtaining replacement documents. It said birth certificates, among the documents reportedly required for verification, could involve processing fees of around Rs 300 to Rs 600, placing an additional burden on displaced families already facing financial difficulties.

The large number of applicants seeking replacement documents has also resulted in queues and delays, while documents that were lost or destroyed during the conflict may take considerable time to replace, according to the organisation.

The Kuki Inpi urged the authorities to extend the SIR deadline by an adequate and reasonable period, citing the exceptional circumstances prevailing in Manipur.

It also sought dedicated verification and facilitation mechanisms for IDP voters, including those currently residing outside their original places of residence. The organisation called for greater flexibility and alternative verification methods in cases where documents have been lost, destroyed or become inaccessible because of conflict and displacement.

The apex body further demanded an expedited and simplified mechanism for displaced citizens to obtain replacement civil and identity documents.

It said safeguards were necessary to ensure that no genuine and eligible voter was removed from the electoral roll solely because circumstances beyond their control prevented them from producing the required documents.

“No citizen should lose their right to vote simply because conflict and displacement deprived them of the documents needed to prove their identity and eligibility,” the Kuki Inpi said.

The organisation maintained that unless the structural and practical difficulties faced by displaced voters are addressed, the SIR exercise could disproportionately affect IDPs and undermine the objective of maintaining an inclusive electoral roll.

The Kuki Inpi has sought the immediate intervention of the Governor and the Chief Electoral Officer to ensure that the electoral revision process does not result in the exclusion of eligible displaced voters because of documentation difficulties caused by the conflict.