Many people say that notices were issued mainly to men, heads of households and the primary earners, even though entire families migrated and lived together. | Photo Credit: PHOTOS FOR REPRESENTATIVE PURPOSES ONLY
More than 9,400 West Bengal migrant workers living in Bengaluru have returned to their hometowns after receiving special intensive review (SIR) notices, according to the Karnataka Bengali Kalyan Samiti, formed by and for West Bengal-based workers in Bengaluru.
Most working families in the city, mostly from Nadia and Murshidabad, said the short timelines given in the notices left little time to secure funds, forcing many to rely on advances from employers to travel back. Several people said the disruption was not limited to travel itself, as leaving work also meant a temporary loss of work and subsequently wages, as it was unclear when and how the verification process would end.
Procedural pressure
The families told The Hindu that they started receiving notices after January 14. “Our employers have told us that if we do not return to our home constituencies and appear for verification, our records will be marked as outstanding during the SIR process,” Binek Pandit, who works in a barber shop, said, adding that they were told that in such cases, if doubts against names are not flagged, the proposals will automatically remain pending to vote automatically in the revision.
Many people reported that notices were mainly issued to men, heads of households and primary earners, even when entire families moved and lived together. The workers said the discrepancies included address continuity, absence of legacy roles or gaps in connection, which they said appear disproportionately in the records of working-age men who migrate seasonally or long-term.
Political assistance and flight arrangements
Reshma Banu, a domestic worker in RR Nagar, said that in some constituencies in West Bengal, local political leaders have helped migrant workers return by arranging air tickets for those who have received SIR notices.
In her case, she said her flight from Bengaluru to Kolkata was booked with the help of a local politician after which she traveled to Nadia by train. She added that this allowed many workers to go through the verification process despite the short time.
Comparison with CAA–NRC migration in 2019
In comparison to 2019, Ms. Banu said that during the CAA and NRC protests, many migrant workers also returned to their villages, but often without informing their employers and for many months before finally returning to Bengaluru for work. This time, she noted, the workers informed their employers before leaving.
Saheb Ali Sheikh, a cook from West Bengal’s Nadia district working in Kundalahalli, the notice was issued only to him and his brother, even though nine members of his family live in Bengaluru. Mr Sheikh said the family moved to the city almost five years ago as part of a group of about 100 people and had been working non-stop since then. He said that although he had all the required documents, he was given until January 26 to respond. Mr Sheikh, who was unable to secure travel and finance at such short notice, said he only managed to reach Nadia on January 25, a day before the deadline. He and his brother took an advance from their employer to cover their travel expenses, flew to Calcutta and continued by road to Nadia.
Similar uncertainty followed Sahreef Ul Sheikh, who owns and runs a garage in Balager and received the SIR notice on January 14. He said he had submitted all the documents, including his passport, during the verification but was told that the inclusion of his name would depend on the consistency of the records as his father’s name does not appear in the 2002 voters’ list, although his grandfather’s name is there. Mr Sheik traveled by train from Bengaluru to Howrah and then to Nadia by bus, a journey of over 36 hours.
Published – 25 Jan 2026 21:47 IST
