SIR ordeal: ‘Was envoy for India in 3 countries, but tough to prove citizenship’
Former Indian diplomat Navdeep Suri, who served in three countries, has expressed difficulty in establishing his citizenship during Punjab's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Suri, a resident of Amritsar, took to X to share his experience of being questioned about his citizenship status. He submitted his voter ID and Aadhaar card to a booth-level officer (BLO) and was assured that everything was in order.
However, he later received a message from a volunteer stating that some details did not match with the SIR of 2003, the base electoral roll used for the exercise. Suri was asked to collect a notice and bring additional documents proving his Indian citizenship. He questioned the fairness of the process for common citizens who face similar issues, especially those who have served their country abroad.
Suri, who served in Cairo, Damascus, Washington DC, Dar es Salaam, London, and as India’s Consul General in Johannesburg, has been a strong advocate for using social media in public diplomacy. Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra confirmed that Suri's name is on the draft electoral roll and that he was registered in Amritsar district.
The electoral registration officer (ERO) has issued a notice seeking additional documents as per due procedure.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
