India's voter-roll clean-up draws accusations that Muslims were disproportionately removed

The New Arab reports that critics accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of disenfranchising millions of Muslims through a clean-up of India's electoral rolls, as protests spread. Authorities have removed more than 130 million names, and voters must now produce documents to prove eligibility. Critics say the removals fall disproportionately on India's roughly 200 million Muslims, who are less likely to back the ruling BJP, and that some people were struck off as dead while still alive. The Election Commission, which says the revision targets duplicate, dead and ineligible voters and fraudulent registrations, denies reports that key decisions were taken without two of its three commissioners' approval. Millions of appeals remain stuck in court, and those affected could not vote in an election earlier this year. The Supreme Court has ordered the government and commission to explain their decisions, allowed the exercise to proceed in May with safeguards for eligible voters, and has another hearing due next week. Why it matters: electoral rolls are core civic infrastructure; how they are revised, and whether courts and appeals can protect eligible voters in time, determines whether citizenship is enforceable in practice.

This is a QeRN summary by Ahmed Qerni. Read the original at The New Arab: https://www.newarab.com/news/indias-modi-accused-disenfranchising-millions-muslims.