Prakash Raj demands scrapping of SIR, calls on citizens to ‘hit the streets’
Actor-activist Prakash Raj has called for public protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging it is an exclusionary process designed to disenfranchise millions of voters. He demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and accountability for the removal of marginalized groups from voter lists.
Why it matters
The controversy surrounding electoral roll revisions touches on fundamental democratic rights and accusations of systemic disenfranchisement of minority and underprivileged communities in India.
Urging the citizens to “hit the streets” against the disenfranchisement of over 13 crore voters using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, actor-activist Prakash Raj has said the SIR process was “an attempt to kill democracy, destroy the Constitution and take away the right to vote from citizens.”
Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam, on Wednesday (October 7, 2026), Mr. Prakash Raj demanded that the SIR be scrapped, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar be forced to resign, and all those behind the SIR process be held accountable.
“This fight is not about political parties. This is a movement in which every citizen of the country should come to the streets. Citizens usually decide the government. Why is the government now deciding who gets to vote? Those who lost their voting rights include Adivasis, daily-wage labourers, Dalits, Muslims, Christians and other minorities,” he said.
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