Kolkata: Sonagachi sex workers to get special camp as EC moves to ease SIR fears

Kolkata: Caught in rising fear and uncertainty over the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls, sex workers in Kolkata's Sonagachi area are likely to get a special assistance camp, as the Election Commission prepares to address their unique documentation challenges.

A senior official in the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office told PTI that the commission has taken note of the concerns after multiple organisations pointed out that many sex workers at Asia's largest red light district are unable to trace records from 2002, a mandatory requirement under the SIR process.

He said several organisations have revealed gaps, particularly for women who never lived with their parents, were abandoned, or have been unable to maintain family links.

"We have received reports that the sex workers of these areas are filling up the forms. In case they need any hand-holding we would extend our support. We came to know that many of them couldn't find any linkage to the 2002 voter lists," the official said.

"When the hearing starts after the draft roll is out on December 9, we have decided to organise special hearing camps in those areas so that the issue can be resolved on the spot and they don't face any problem," he said.

The official added that the Electoral Registration Officer will personally attend the camp to hear their cases.

The move follows a letter sent last week by three organisations working with sex workers and their children -- Society for Human Development and Social Action, Usha Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited, and Amra Padatik -- informing CEO Manoj Agarwal that hundreds of residents of Sonagachi risk exclusion from the voters' list because they cannot meet the 2002-document requirement.

The organisations said that it is almost impossible for sex workers to gather documents from 2002, and that many women who have concealed their profession from their families due to social stigma are unable to approach relatives for any paperwork.

They also raised cases of women whose parents' identities are entirely unknown, urging the commission to treat their circumstances with sensitivity.

The fears have spread quickly across Sonagachi, home to nearly 10,000 sex workers, where residents say anxiety has overshadowed daily life.

Many point out that the documents they are being asked to produce, particularly proof of family details from the 2002 electoral roll, simply do not exist for them.

Several organisations met the CEO's office again on Tuesday, reinforcing the appeal that the SIR procedure must account for women who have no way of accessing family histories.

Commission sources said the concerns have been taken seriously.

With the draft electoral rolls scheduled to be published on December 9, claims and objections allowed until January 8, and hearings and verification to be held between December 9 and January 31 before the final rolls are released on February 7, 2026, the administration wants to ensure that sex workers do not get left out due to circumstances beyond their control.

The proposed special camp in Sonagachi will therefore aim to examine their cases on the spot during the hearing window and clear genuine applications without delay.

The organisations have also argued that many sex workers already receive state welfare benefits, from Lakshmir Bhandar to widow pensions, and questioned why their citizenship status should come under suspicion when they are recognised beneficiaries in government records.

Rights groups working with sex workers and their children say the atmosphere has become "deeply distressing" and hope that the dedicated camp will finally offer clarity and relief.