An association of West Bengal government officers objects to the large deletion of voters from the draft electoral rolls under the ongoing SIR process. They say the deletion is done by a system automatically, ignoring the lawful role of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). The officers' group wrote to West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal, pointing out that many electors were deleted for reasons like death, migration, absence, or duplication, even when their enumeration forms were not returned. The Election Commission published the draft rolls on December 16, deleting more than 58 lakh voters. The officers stressed that by law, a person’s name can only be deleted if they no longer live in that constituency or are not entitled to be registered there. In such cases, the ERO must give the person a chance to be heard, as per Section 22 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. They said, "system-driven deletion of so many electors, all at once, appears to infringe upon the natural rights of electors who might well be otherwise eligible." The letter also warned that deletions are happening without the ERO's knowledge, removing the opportunity for a proper hearing. The officers said this creates "a legitimate apprehension that the EROs are being accountable for the act of deletion while they do not have the opportunity to exercise their statutory responsibilities." They called on the CEO to act so that EROs can work clearly and fairly. The Election Commission retains the right to direct the revision process, but affected voters may blame EROs unaware that these officers have been left out of the deletion process, the letter concluded.