EC summons Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, his brother, for SIR hearing in Kolkata: Reports
Kolkata: Cricketer Mohammed Shami and his brother Mohammed Kaif were summoned by the Election Commission to appear for a hearing, part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process that began on December 16, 2025, reported India Today.
Notices were issued on Monday from Kartju Nagar School in the Jadavpur area of south Kolkata, directing both to appear before the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO). However, Shami could not attend the scheduled hearing, as he is currently in Rajkot representing Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Shami is a voter in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Ward No. 93 under the Rashbehari Assembly constituency. He has been a permanent resident of Kolkata for several years tough he belonged to Uttar Pradesh.
Quoting ECI sources, the report stated that the names of Shami and his brother appeared on the hearing list due to complications in their enumeration forms, including discrepancies related to progeny mapping and self-mapping. Shami’s hearing has now been scheduled between January 9 and 11.
This comes amid criticism of the SIR process by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who earlier wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar questioning the objectives and asking whether the “ECI was aware of the goal of SIR.”
She wrote, "Although the exercise is described as time-bound, there are no clearly defined, transparent, or uniformly applicable timelines. Different States are following different criteria, and timelines are being altered arbitrarily, reflecting a glaring lack of clarity, preparedness, and procedural understanding.”
She further alleged a lack of transparency, uniform timelines and clear communication, warning that errors or ambiguities could lead to the disenfranchisement of genuine voters.
The final voter list for poll-bound West Bengal is slated to be published on February 14. More than 58 lakh names were deleted from the draft electoral rolls released in December as part of the SIR exercise.
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Iran warns of ‘uncontrollable consequences’ after energy site strike
Qatar warns residents of ‘Elavated’ threat
Tehran/Doha: Iran’s President Massoud Pezeshkian has warned that attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure could lead to “uncontrollable consequences” affecting the entire world.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian said he “strongly condemns” the strikes that targeted the South Pars gasfield earlier in the day.
“Such aggressive actions will not achieve anything for the American Zionist enemy and their supporters. Rather, they will complicate the situation and could lead to uncontrollable consequences that will affect the entire world,” he said.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has urged residents to remain indoors due to what it described as an elevated security threat.
Authorities have not provided further details, but the advisory comes amid growing concerns over the safety of energy infrastructure and civilian areas in the region.
