Prakash Raj Detained in Bengaluru Protest Against Karnataka Voter Roll Revision
Prominent actors and activists Prakash Raj and Kishore, along with nearly 100 members of various civil society groups, were preventively detained by Bengaluru Police on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
The detentions took place as protesters attempted to march from Freedom Park to the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office on Sheshadri Road.
The march, organised under the banner “Election Commission Chalo”, was held to demand an immediate halt to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka.
Why are activists opposing the SIR?
The protesters, led by groups including Eddelu Karnataka, Namma Mata Namma Hakku and Nagarika Matha Kavalu Samithi, alleged that the electoral roll revision was flawed and lacked transparency.
They also expressed concern that the exercise could lead to genuine voters being removed from the electoral rolls.
According to draft electoral data released by the CEO’s office, Karnataka has around 4.46 crore electors. Of these, nearly 1.07 crore names have been placed under the ASDDO category, covering voters classified as Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others.
Another 43.8 lakh voters have reportedly been flagged for anomalies or placed under the “No Mapping” category.
Activists have raised concerns that the process could result in large-scale deletion of voters without giving them enough time or opportunity to establish their eligibility.
Prakash Raj questions transparency
Speaking at Freedom Park before being taken away in a police bus, Prakash Raj criticised what he described as a lack of transparency surrounding the SIR exercise.
He referred to an RTI application filed by activist Anjali Bharadwaj in Delhi seeking information about the basis for introducing the SIR.
According to Raj, the Election Commission’s response stated that it “did not decide this”, prompting him to question who had ordered or authorised the exercise.
Raj also criticised the composition of the Election Commission and raised concerns over the legal protections available to election officials.
He said he had himself reportedly been marked as “permanently shifted” from his earlier address in Shantinagar. According to him, he was required to submit Form 6 to enrol again instead of simply being given an opportunity to establish his eligibility.
Protesters list key demands
Activist leaders, including KL Ashok and Tara Rao, outlined several demands during the demonstration.
Their main demands included:
- Scrapping the SIR exercise: Protesters called for the immediate suspension of the ongoing electoral roll revision.
- Protection of flagged voters: They demanded that the 1.07 crore voters placed under the ASDDO category and those flagged for discrepancies should not be removed without proper verification and an opportunity to respond.
- More time for appeals: Activists sought a six-month period for claims and objections instead of the current one-month window.
- Simpler verification: They called for voter enrolment drives at every polling booth, along with gram sabha and ward-level meetings. They also demanded that voters should not be required to submit more than two documents to establish their identity.
Claims and objections deadline
Despite the protests, the Election Commission’s process for filing claims and objections remains open until September 23, 2026.
The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 27, 2026.
The detention of Prakash Raj, Kishore and other protesters has added to the political and civil society debate surrounding the electoral roll revision in Karnataka, with activists demanding greater transparency and safeguards for voters.
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