India SIR row: Odisha ex-top cop Abhay calls revision wrong, demands accountability

Abhay says corrective action and accountability are needed, while Odisha launches a special drive to re-enrol eligible voters left out of current electoral rolls

Former Odisha director-general of police (DGP) Abhay on Sunday criticised the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying it led to the disenfranchisement of citizens.

In an X post, Abhay said: "The Special Revision (SIR), as conceived and implemented, was wrong and led to disenfranchisement of crores of Indian citizens. Corrective measures must be taken and accountability fixed."

Abhay, a 1986-batch IPS officer, served as the DGP, Odisha, from November 2019 to December 2021. He was also director-general of the Narcotics Control Bureau, New Delhi, and director of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad.

His post drew several comments, both for and against his statement.

The former DGP's post comes amid the controversy over the functioning of the office of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR's implementation, which led to the deletion of over 13 crore names of voters across India.

In Odisha, the names of nearly 20 lakh voters were deleted, accounting for six per cent of the electorate.

Last week, Odisha chief electoral officer R.S. Gopalan applied for voluntary retirement two years ahead of his superannuation. Though he maintained it had nothing to do with the SIR, the move has not gone down well with the Opposition.

Odisha additional chief electoral officer Sushant Kumar Mishra has asked all district election officers, collectors, municipal commissioners and electoral registration officers to launch a special drive across the state to re-enrol eligible voters left out of the current rolls.