Election officials collect documents from Amartya Sen's ancestral home for SIR
Kolkata (PTI): Election officials on Friday visited Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen's residence at Bolpur in Birbhum district and collected the requisite documents in connection with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, a family member said.
The officials visited 'Pratichi', Sen's ancestral home, and collected the economist's Aadhaar card, voter identity card number, the death certificate of his mother, Amita Sen, and a letter in which Sen authorised his cousin, Shantabhanu Sen, to appear for the SIR-related hearing in his absence.
Sen is currently in the USA, where he is a Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University.
"The officials from the Election Commission collected Prof Sen's Aadhaar card, voter identity card number, and the death certificate of his mother, Amita Sen. They also took the letter in which Prof Sen authorised his cousin Shantabhanu to appear for the hearing," one of Sen's family members told PTI.
Election officials did not respond when asked whether a photocopy of the 'Bharat Ratna' award conferred on Sen was also submitted for the electoral roll revision process, he said.
The Election Commission last week issued a notice to Sen, seeking a hearing on January 16 at his Santiniketan residence as part of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
An official at the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said the notice was prompted by a discrepancy in Sen's enumeration form, which listed him as linked to his mother, Amita Sen, despite an age difference of less than 15 years.
The office of the CEO has said that the form, submitted by Sen's family member, was flagged by the ERO Net Portal.
"A notice was generated for Sen in line with other similar cases. Given that the elector is over 85 years old, ERO and AERO officials, along with the BLO, visited his residence and completed the formalities," a statement of the CEO's office said.
Sen became a voter years ago and cast his vote in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections at the Visva Bharati Staff Club polling station.
On the 2026 SIR draft electoral list, his name appears as Part 274, Serial 169, under the Prabasi Bharatiya (non-resident) category.
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Boards barring non-Hindus at Har ki Pauri come up in Uttarakhand
Haridwar (PTI): Amid demands to declare the Haridwar Kumbh area in Uttarakhand a Hindu zone and restrict entry to non-Hindus at all religious places and Ganga ghats within it, signs reading 'Non-Hindu prohibited area' were put up at Har Ki Pauri on Friday.
The Ganga Sabha, the organisation that manages and maintains Har Ki Pauri and the surrounding ghats, has put up these signs on all entry points to the area, including on bridge railings and pillars.
However, the main bathing ghat of Har Ki Pauri and the surrounding area are already restricted for non-Hindus according to the Haridwar Municipal Act of 1916.
These signs were put up after a video went viral three days ago showing two young men wearing Kandura (traditional Arab attire) roaming in the Har Ki Pauri area. However, it was later revealed that these two young men were Hindus and had come to make a video for their YouTube channel.
The Sabha has demanded that all religious places, temples, and Ganga ghats in the entire Haridwar Kumbh area be restricted for non-Hindus before the 'Ardh Kumbh' next year, a demand that the Uttarakhand government is also seriously considering.
Following the Kandura incident, the Sabha had also appealed to officials of government departments, other organisations, and media houses not to appoint their non-Hindu employees in this area. They stated that this was necessary to maintain the sanctity and purity of the area.
Regarding the installation of the new signs, Ganga Sabha president Nitin Gautam told PTI, "According to the Haridwar Municipal Bylaws of 1916, the entry of non-Hindus into the Har Ki Pauri area is completely prohibited. This sign has been put up to inform everyone about this bylaw."
He said that this step has been taken to publicly share information about the law and traditions, so that the sanctity of the pilgrimage site is maintained and no confusion or controversy arises.
Haridwar Municipal Commissioner Nandan Kumar also stated that the 1916 bylaws prohibit the entry of non-Hindus into the Har Ki Pauri area.
