In Uttar Pradesh, SIR brings home estranged sons and daughters

Several cases have been reported from Bareilly in the state, where sons and daughters contacted their parents seeking information from the old electoral rolls.

Lucknow: The opposition parties may be up in arms against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list but in Uttar Pradesh, the exercise has enabled many estranged sons and daughters to get in touch with their families after decades, in some cases.

According to the reports, several such cases have been reported from Bareilly in the state, where sons and daughters contacted their parents seeking information from the old electoral rolls.

When Om Prakash, a resident of Kashipur village in Bareilly,had left his native village, he was only 15. After spending 25 years in Delhi, Om Prakash returned to his village last week as Salim, a father of four children. Om Prakash returned to his village looking to get the details from the old electoral rolls, reports said.

Similarly Snehlata, who had left home 15 years back and cut off all relations with her family after marrying a man of her choice against the wishes of her parent, called her mother a few days to know the details of the old electoral roll after the officials asked her furnish her details based on 2003 voters’ list, reports said. He was accorded a grand welcome when he arrived at the village.

Another resident of Bulandshahar district, Sulekha, who too had left her home after being disowned by her family following her marriage with a Muslim man and conversion to Islam, called her mother almost after a decade seeking information about the old electoral roll.

The district officials, who were engaged in the exercise, said that SIR was proving to be an unlikely bridge between these estranged members of the families.