Civil society groups in Karnataka launch campaign against Election Commission’s SIR
Bengaluru: More than 100 representatives from civil society organisations, political parties, trade unions, women’s groups, and student unions gathered in Bengaluru on Friday to oppose the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka.
The meeting, held at the Legislators’ Home, culminated in the adoption of a resolution to launch a state-wide campaign titled “My Vote, My Right”, aimed at resisting what participants described as an “NRC-like” process that could lead to the disenfranchisement of marginalised voters.
Speakers at the meeting drew parallels with similar revisions in Bihar, where over 6.8 million names were reportedly deleted from electoral rolls, with Dalits, Muslims, women, and migrant workers being disproportionately affected. They argued that the SIR shifts the burden of proof of eligibility onto citizens, reversing the earlier rule that required the Election Commission to justify voter deletions.
“The SIR follows the same logic as the NRC,” said Vinay Sreenivasa of Bahutva Karnataka. “It shifts the burden onto citizens and risks large-scale disenfranchisement.”
Clifton D’Rozario of the CPI(ML) Liberation said that many poor and marginalised voters do not possess the documents now sought by the ECI, such as birth certificates or matriculation certificates. Activists further expressed concern that the SIR authorises election officials to refer “suspected foreign nationals” to authorities under the Citizenship Act, 1955, a clause they said could be weaponised against minorities and the poor.
“This gives unbridled powers to local officials and can be misused against vulnerable communities,” said a joint statement issued after the meeting.
Presiding over the discussion, Indudara Honnapura, founder-member of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (DSS), urged mass mobilisation against the measure. “Voters choose their leaders, but now the Election Commission wants to choose the voters,” he said.
The participants urged the Karnataka government to pass a resolution against SIR, similar to Kerala’s stance opposing the NRC and CAA, and demanded that the ECI hold wider consultations with civil society organisations before implementing the process.
The round table was attended by representatives from PUCL Karnataka, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, AICCTU, AIPWA, AISA, the All India Lawyers Association for Justice, and the Students’ Federation of India, among others.
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Maldivian military diver dead while searching for bodies of four Italian divers
Colombo (AP): A Maldivian military diver died Saturday while searching for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave.
The group of five Italian divers is believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 metres in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy's Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 metres.
Maldives Presidential Spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef said that Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital.
“The death goes to show the difficulty of the mission,” he said.
Earlier, Shareef said the searchers had prepared a plan based on their progress exploring the cave on Friday. Mahudhee was part of the group that briefed Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on the rescue plan when he visited the search site on Friday.
Rough weather has repeatedly hampered rescue efforts.
The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home. His ministry stated it was coordinating with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organisation, to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies. The cause of the deaths remains under investigation.
The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.
Benedetti's body was recovered on Thursday.
Montefalcone and Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity, the University of Genoa said in a statement Friday. However, the scuba diving activity during which the deadly accident occurred was not part of the planned research and was “undertaken privately,” it said.
The statement also said the two other victims — student Sommacal and recent graduate Gualtieri — were not involved in the scientific mission.
Cave diving is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires specialised training, equipment and strict safety protocols. Risks increase sharply in environments where divers cannot head straight up and at depth, particularly when conditions are poor.
Experts say it's easy to become disoriented or lost inside caves, particularly as sediment clouds can sharply reduce visibility.
Diving at 50 metres also exceeds the maximum depth recommended for recreational divers by most major established scuba certifying agencies, with depths beyond 40 metres considered technical diving and requiring specialised training and equipment.
Shareef said Benedetti's body was found near the mouth of the cave and authorities believed the remaining four had entered the cave.
Two Italians, a deep-sea rescue expert and a cave diving expert, are expected to join the recovery effort, Shareef said.
Italian officials said that around 20 other Italians on the same expedition aboard the vessel “Duke of York” were safe. Italy's embassy in Colombo was providing assistance to those onboard and had contacted the Red Crescent, which offered to deploy volunteers to help provide psychological aid.
The Maldives tourism ministry said it has suspended the operating license of the “Duke of York” pending an investigation.
The Italian foreign ministry said the cave is divided into three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Recovery teams explored two of the three chambers on Friday, but the search was limited due to considerations over oxygen and decompression.
On Saturday, they will explore the third chamber, the ministry added.
Italian officials and the honourary consul are in contact with the victims' families to provide assistance.
