• Rapporteurs say Muslims were disproportionately targeted in voter purge• Seek explanation over alleged deletion of 52m voters• Warn exercise may violate international human rights law• Criticise rhetoric linking purge to ‘illegal Bangladeshi immigrants’
KARACHI: Three United Nations special rapporteurs have sought clarification from the government of India over allegations that millions of voters, particularly Muslims, were wrongfully removed from electoral rolls ahead of recent state elections.
In a formal communication dated May 1, 2026, the independent UN experts expressed grave concerns regarding a massive voter-deletion exercise that reportedly stripped approximately 52 million names from registers across 12 Indian states and union territories.
While the voter purge reportedly affected some other linguistic and religious minorities, the independent experts highlighted that Muslim citizens bore the brunt of the administrative exclusions.
The letter highlighted West Bengal, where 9.1m names were deleted prior to assembly elections held on April 23 and 29, 2026.
