Economist Parakala Prabhakar to Join Anti-SIR Protest Demanding CEC Removal

NEW DELHI — Economist Parakala Prabhakar is scheduled to join an anti-SIR protest on October 23, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Mr. Prabhakar, who is the husband of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, characterized the Special Intensive Revision exercise as a “bloodless political genocide of citizenship,” alleging it involves the targeted deletion of individuals from electoral rolls to strip them of voting rights.

The mobilization is organised by “People Against SIR,” an alliance formed on October 14 that brings together coalitions representing farmers, workers, students, youth, women, Dalits, tribals, minorities, persons with disabilities, and transgender communities. The broad-based platform is pressing for the removal and prosecution of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, the total scrapping of the SIR process, and the unconditional restoration of all deleted voters to the rolls.

Mr. Prabhakar is set to share the platform during the October 23 demonstration with prominent public figures, including actor-activist Prakash Raj, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, and All India Students’ Union president Neha Bora. Additional participation is expected from farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, Tushar Gandhi, and student leader Aishe Ghosh.

The alliance has planned a public march and demonstration as part of its ongoing campaign, operating under the slogan “Har haath mein tiranga, har gali mein Jantar Mantar.”