Three United Nations Special Rapporteurs have expressed serious concern over the Election Commission of India’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), alleging mass deletion of Muslim voters through opaque AI-driven systems.
In a communication dated May 1, 2026, the Rapporteurs drew the attention of the Government of India to “the large-scale removal of millions of names from electoral rolls through an SIR process led by the ECI, particularly affecting members of minority groups.” The communication was issued by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. The Indian government has been given 60 days to respond.
The UN report flags multiple issues with the SIR process, including the alleged use of opaque AI-driven systems that lack transparency and remedies, weak grounds for deletion such as spelling errors, inadequate time for voters to arrange documents, and what it calls “a political narrative aimed at the exclusion of minorities.”
It notes that senior government officials, including the Indian Home Minister, have reportedly framed the deletion of voter names as targeting “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants” – rhetoric that the Rapporteurs say conflates legitimate Indian Muslim citizens with foreign nationals.