SIR needed every five years to check influx: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. File | Photo Credit: ANI

GUWAHATI

Amid protests seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said India needs the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls every five years to check the infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals.

He cited what he called a “demographic invasion” in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal to justify his view.

Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Sarma said one cannot blackmail the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India (ECI). “There should be an SIR in the country every five years considering the demographic shift in Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar. Only then will our democracy survive and succeed,” he told journalists on Sunday (October 12, 2026).