As concerns grow over alleged large-scale deletions from electoral rolls in Bengal, a cross-faith gathering in the city on Tuesday turned to prayer, calling for the restoration of voting rights and peaceful elections.

The response should not be violence, but prayer and patience, the prayer meet said.

The Catholic Association of Bengal, in partnership with FACES (Friends of Alumni/Alumnae Colleges, Educational institutes, and Schools), organised the prayer meeting outside Allen Park on Tuesday.

Leaders of different faiths attended the gathering.

“SIR in Bengal has taken a toll on many, including me. Despite having the
most important document, which is the passport, I am off the electoral rolls,”
said Imran Zaki, a businessman and the president of FACES.

“Instead of taking to the roads, we are here praying. We have faith in our judiciary, though it is unfortunate that I will not be able to vote this time,” Zaki said.

“We pray for peaceful elections in the state of Bengal. We pray for those in authority who will help us to have this election, that they have wisdom and discernment, and above all, your strength,” Father Patrick Joseph of the Assembly of God Church said at the meeting.

Many speakers who took the podium underscored Bengal’s identity. “For many, interfaith means a meet or a conclave, but for us in Bengal, it is our culture, our identity,” said Owaiz Aslam from the Indian Pluralism Foundation, which works to foster harmony through dialogue.

“Nothing is more powerful than prayer, and we pray that those in public offices and leaders take the right decisions. Many people have their names struck off the rolls, but they are citizens of this land,” said Angelina Mantosh Jasnani, president of the Catholic Association of Bengal.