Ghaziabad SIR Centers Overwhelmed as Crowd Turns Unruly, Officials Struggle to Maintain Order

Ghaziabad, Jan 29, 2026: In Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, centers set up for responding to notices under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process were overwhelmed on Wednesday as large crowds gathered, leading to chaos and unrest. The situation escalated when citizens were asked to provide proof from the 2003 voter list, creating confusion and frustration among residents.

The administration had established 14 centers across various assembly constituencies to facilitate verification of documents. However, many visitors faced difficulties as booth level officers (BLOs) were absent, leaving people unsure about where to submit or verify the required documents.

Several residents expressed their anger over the sudden demand for documents that are over 20 years old. “We were asked to provide evidence from the 2003 voter list, but no one could tell us where to find it,” said Sunil Gupta, a resident trying to respond to the notice. Rachna Jain added, “The administration should have been better prepared. Women and elderly citizens are being unnecessarily harassed.”

As the day progressed, the number of visitors at the centers increased, resulting in pushing, shoving, and unrest. Officials scrambled to manage the crowds by relocating people to different rooms and trying to split the long queues at single service windows.

The 14 designated centers were intended to resolve claims and objections from residents who had received notices from the election department. However, a lack of coordination at the centers was evident, prompting local citizens to demand that the 2003 voter list either be made available online or copies be provided at the centers to prevent unnecessary inconvenience.

The situation was similarly chaotic in Modinagar, where more than 500 people presented their documents to officials at the tehsil office in a bid to have their names added to the voter list. Around 13,000 residents in the area still do not have their names on the electoral rolls, having been unable to provide the required documents to BLOs during the SIR mapping process.