Twins, large families and missing surnames: SIR throws up curious cases in Palamu
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Daltonganj, September 15: Why are electors rushing to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) camps? The answer is simple…
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THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, September 15: Why are electors rushing to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) camps? The answer is simple — to ensure that their names remain on the electoral rolls.
Some arrive holding hands, while others turn up despite mobility difficulties. Gen Z voters who cast their maiden votes in 2024 often arrive laughing and wondering why their elders are so worried about deletion of names from the electoral rolls.
The ongoing SIR of electoral rolls has thrown up several interesting and sometimes amusing cases in Palamu.
At the SIR camp at Palamu Club, Assistant Electoral Registration Officer Amardeep Balhotra said twins arriving in response to notices immediately attract attention.
“Twins come in response to the notices served to them. Their appearance draws attention at once. The twins too enjoy much,” Balhotra said.
According to him, the camps have so far encountered roughly one set of twins for every 100 electors appearing for verification.
However, when it comes to producing documents, particularly those relating to dates of birth, the twins tend to become anxious.
“Their dates of birth are the same, with only a gap of a few minutes between them. Such a gap is not recorded in birth certificates, yet their concern remains evident,” Balhotra said.
Large families pose a different challenge
Cases involving families with more than five sons and daughters are reportedly more common than those involving twins.
“There are around three such cases among every 20 families having more than five sons and daughters. This is where the computer begins to raise a flag. It shows red when it detects six or more linkages,” the electoral officer said.
The verification team then scrutinises the ages of the six or more linked family members. According to the officer, the age gap between successive children should generally not be less than nine months, unless the children are twins.
Missing surname triggers concern
This correspondent also came across the case of the head of a washerman family.
In the 2003 electoral roll, the elector’s name carried the suffix “Hawari”. However, the suffix was missing from the draft electoral roll.
His son, a police constable, said, “We are washermen. Hawari is our badge. Everyone knows our profession. But here during the SIR, we are sweating profusely from top to bottom.”
Women more active at SIR camps
Women are reportedly more active than men at the SIR camps, said Kundan Kumar, Electoral Registration Officer of the Bishrampur Assembly constituency.
“These women keep sharing new stories among themselves until their issues are settled,” he said.
Old records add to verification challenges
Administrative sources said there was no mandatory requirement for registration of births and deaths before 1969.
The Government of India enacted the Registration of Births and Deaths Act in 1969, making registration of births and deaths mandatory within the prescribed period.
The verification teams are also coming across poorly photocopied birth certificates in which names and dates are difficult to decipher.
“Micro-font names and dates in photocopied documents are proving a great strain on the eyes of the SIR team,” said an assistant at an SIR camp.
The SIR exercise has proved to be a demanding task for both officials and electors, while also reminding people that every document can acquire significance when its details need to be verified.
