Several questions struck me after I saw my name deleted. Am I not an Indian? What about the numerous stamps on my Indian passport? Is my passport also invalid?
When my BLO said my name had been flagged for a logical discrepancy, he could not specify its nature. I have no clue why I'm not eligible to vote on April 29.
My 81-year-old father has also been removed from the rolls. He is too shocked to speak. My brothers have the same documents as I do. But their names have been approved.
At this moment, I desperately want an audience with the judicial officer who adjudicated my case.
Ironically, I was also part of voter awareness campaigns organised by the Election Commission in the past. I want to show the pictures from those campaigns to the judicial officer.
I want to ask him on what ground my name was deleted. I want to show him the stamps on my passport.
I am a staunch believer in a secular and inclusive India. I have actively promoted interfaith amity. My daughter is married to a Punjabi. My nephew is married to a Gujarati Hindu.
From that perspective, what pains me immensely is the realisation that this SIR exercise is not only problematic. It is deeply divisive. It reeks of bias against one community. Our ancestors chose India over Pakistan. My grandfather came to Calcutta from Siwan in Bihar in 1918.
Our family home on Weston Street was home to scores of people who came to Calcutta from Bihar, looking for greener pastures.
For generations, my family has lived here with dignity and a deep sense of belonging. That pride and sense of belonging have taken a beating.
I am on the executive committee of Mohammedan Sporting Club. I have been the secretary and am still an active member of the St. Xavier's College Calcutta Alumni Association. I am also on the board of several Muslim charitable organisations in Calcutta.
I have received several awards for social work, some of them from chief ministers and governors. Our school, St. Stephen's School in Bowbazar, has more than 500 students from low-income families.
I will file an appeal to restore my fundamental democratic right. But I might not be able to vote in the upcoming election.
I have voted in every election since I became eligible to vote. I take great pride in participating in the festival of democracy. I am devastated.