It's Confirmed! Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen Has Been Issued SIR Hearing Notice

Kolkata: The Election Commission has issued an SIR (Special Intensive Revision) hearing notice to Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen. The notice was issued due to a discrepancy in the age difference between Sen and his mother, as shown in documents. He has been asked to provide the necessary information by January 16. The 92-year-old academic, a non-resident Indian (NRI), is currently abroad.

SIR Notice Delivered To Pratichi

On Wednesday, Election Registration Officer (ERO) Tania Roy and Booth Level Officer (BLO) Sombrata Mukherjee from the Election Commission (EC) visited Sen's residence in Santiniketan, Pratichi, and handed the notice to his cousin, Shantabhanu Sen. This is the first time a Bharat Ratna recipient has been served with an SIR hearing notice in the country.

Afterwards, Shantabhanu said, "The officers handed over a notice for my cousin. They said there were some errors in the information. This is a deliberate attempt to harass Amartya Sen. He has voted before."

Gitikantha Majumdar, who is in charge of maintaining Sen's house, said, "The notice states that there is a 15-year age difference between Amartya Sen and his mother, where the actual age difference is 19 years and a half. I don't know how they issued this notice. He has been asked to provide information by January 16. This is a deliberate act of harassment."

According to EC sources, Sen is a voter in the Bolpur Assembly constituency and a resident of Ward No. 2 of Bolpur Municipality.

The Discrepancies According To The EC

The notice states that according to documents with the EC, Sen's age is 15 years less than his mother's, because of which, he has to provide appropriate evidence. Additionally, there is a minor spelling mistake in his name in the documents.

Later in the day, the EC softened its stance, stating that Sen would not have to appear for the hearing in person, that BLOs will handle the matter. But by then, the issue had sparked a political controversy.

Even before the notice was issued, Abhishek Banerjee, the National General Secretary of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), at a party meeting in Rampurhat in Birbhum on Tuesday, demanded an explanation for the notice served to the Nobel laureate. The TMC MP said, "While coming to Birbhum, I heard that a notice for a SIR hearing has been sent to Amartya Sen. Even someone who has brought glory to the country and earned worldwide renown by winning the Nobel Prize, has been sent an SIR notice!"

The Sens Of Santiniketan

Sen's grandfather, Kshitimohan Sen, was one of Rabindranath Tagore's key associates in establishing Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan. He later became the Vice-Chancellor of Visva Bharati. Amartya Sen's mother, Amita Sen, was an ashram student, meaning she was a direct student of Rabindranath Tagore. The poet himself named him Amartya.

After Sen became the first Indian to receive the Nobel Prize in Economics, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government awarded him the country's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.

Also Read:

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2. Amartya Sen Raises Concerns Over SIR That Risks 'Disenfranchising' Poor People
3. Mamata Leads Massive Kolkata Rally Against SIR, Vows To ‘Topple Delhi’ Over Voter List Purge
4. BLOs Threaten Boycott As New App Update Sparks Fresh Row Over Voter Revision Work