Man Brings Soil From Grandfather’s Grave to SIR Hearing in Bengal, Alleges Harassment

In

a striking act of protest, a young man named Javed Khan in West Bengal has brought soil from his grandfather’s grave to a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing at a block office at Bagda in North 24 Parganas district, objecting to what he described as repeated and harassing demands to prove his Indian citizenship.The incident took place during a voter list verification process at the Bagda block office. Khan, a resident of Ramnagar village under Boyra Gram Panchayat, arrived at the hearing carrying a plastic bag containing soil from his grandfather’s grave, along with land documents and other records he was instructed to bring and produce before the electoral officers at SIR hearing center.

According to Khan, his parents’ names appears in the 2002 electoral roll, and his family has possessed official documents such as land deeds and tax receipts dating back to 1950. Despite submitting all required documents on two occasions, seven members of his family were summoned for the hearing. “Since 1950, we have all the documents—tax receipts, land deeds, everything,” Javed Khan told Times Now. “Despite this, we are repeatedly being called. Our only ‘sin’ is that we are Muslims. Even after submitting documents twice to the Booth Level Officer (BLO), we were served notices”, Khan told Times Now.Javed Khan claimed he had spoken to the BLO regarding the issue, but he was told that the discrepancy originated from the Election Commission.In an emotional statement, Khan questioned the verification process, saying, “When even the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has discrepancies in his date of birth, despite us having all proper documents, we are being harassed again and again.”As part of his protest, Khan asked officials to conduct a DNA test on the soil from his grandfather’s grave to establish his ancestral roots. He also alleged political bias, claiming that the Election Commission was acting under pressure to marginalise Muslim voters—an allegation for which no official response was immediately available. “If our names are deleted from the voter list, we will move the High Court,” Khan warned.Responding to the incident, a Booth Level Officer said the matter involved a “logical discrepancy.” According to the official, records maintained by the ECI show a mismatch between Khan’s name and his father’s name in the 2002 SIR list, requiring him to submit documents as per ECI guidelines. The incident has drawn attention locally, highlighting concerns around voter verification procedures and their impact on citizens during electoral roll revisions.