Dear Reader,

The Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls, conducted on the eve of the assembly elections, has drawn sharp criticism for its compressed timelines and the looming risk of disenfranchisement, particularly among the marginalised and minority communities. Concerns that the exercise could distort the electoral process have been reinforced by recent findings from The Reporters’ Collective, the latest in a series, which reveals that the scale of the problem is deeper and more widespread than initially feared.

Their expanded investigation, based on expert analysis and part of a month-long effort, uncovered over 5.56 lakh suspect duplicates across 142 constituencies, including hundreds of voter IDs with identical photographs. In 1.29 lakh cases, even ages matched, differing only in address, while 40,649 entries bore identical names, relatives’ names, ages, and booths—errors that should have been easily detected. Although the ECI claims to have removed seven lakh duplicates and attributes overlaps to common names, the persistence of anomalies numbering in lakhs raises serious questions about the rigour of the process and the risk of vote manipulation.

On February 3, 2025, The Probe reported the trafficking of 56 bonded labourers—including 26 children—from Uttar Pradesh, who were forced into brutal conditions at a brick kiln in Moga, Punjab. The following day, authorities rescued 46 individuals, but activists flagged that no release certificates were issued, leaving the victims without legal protection or access to rehabilitation.

The NHRC intervened twice—first in late February, when it rejected a flawed administrative probe that denied the existence of bonded labour and demanded detailed compliance. It acted again in August 2025, rebuking the administration’s dismissal of evidence, calling for a fresh inquiry, and warning that failure to comply by October 13 would trigger stricter action against the district administration. The story highlights rampant trafficking and the government’s apathy in a crisis where the victims are almost always marginalised, particularly children.

Pozhiyoor, a coastal village in southern Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is facing the harshest impacts of climate change as the sea steadily devours its shores. In just five years, more than 200 houses have been lost, displacing over a hundred fishing families who have been moved to government-built apartments on a hill in Karode Panchayat, miles away.

For these families, resettlement has only compounded their suffering. The flats—already showing structural damage—lack waste management, schools, and transport access, forcing residents to spend a substantial portion of their meagre earnings just to reach the coast and pursue their livelihood. Keraleeyam Masika reports that cramped rooms have replaced once-spacious homes, while disenfranchisement and denial of entitlements have left them doubly abandoned. Severed from the sea that shaped their lives, they now grapple with broken livelihoods and inadequate rehabilitation, far from the waters that once sustained them.

Every Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival transforms the streets of Pune into a sea of chants, lights, and idols. Yet behind the pomp and devotion lies the labour of artisans—for instance, migrant workers and idol makers from Rajasthan’s Mogiya community, who bring their craft to Maharashtra during the run-up to the festival. With their skills and traditions as their only legacy, they move temporarily back and forth from their homes to the centres of demand during the festival, sustaining age-old practices that continue to shape the festivities.

But this livelihood comes at a cost. Although they earn just enough to survive until the next season, constant migration deprives their children of formal education, forcing them to abandon aspirations for stable employment and a settled life. The Migration Story brings you their lives, dreams, and struggles from Pune.

For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF