Several civil society groups are set to organise a public hearing in Patna on Monday on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar that they suspect would lead to large-scale disenfranchisement.

“Affected persons from at least 15 districts from across Bihar are expected to share their personal experience with a panel of distinguished citizens. We also expect to hear online the experiences of some migrant labourers of Bihar,” psephologist Yogendra Yadav said.

The event is being organised by the Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan, Swaraj Abhiyan, National Alliance for Peoples’ Movements, Kosi Navnirman Manch, Samar Charitable Trust and the Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan. Yadav is associated with the first two organisations and is a petitioner against the SIR in the Supreme Court.

Experts invited to the meeting include former Patna High Court judge, Justice Anjana Prakash; former Central Information Commissioner and chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, Wajahat Habibullah; economist Jean Dreze, sociologist Nandini Sundar and several academics from Patna.

“No public hearing is required to understand that this SIR is a big attack on whatever remains of Indian democracy. But a public hearing may help to clear the fog that covers this attack,” Dreze told The Telegraph.

Habibullah, a former bureaucrat, said: “I will make up my mind after hearing what the people say at the hearing…. Elections and voter enrolment are conducted with the cooperation and support of the public. No programme can be thrust down their throats.”

As on Friday almost 37 lakh out of nearly 7.9 crore electors of Bihar—4.67 per cent—have ‘not been found at their addresses’, by Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

More than 1.6 per cent of existing voters have been marked as “probably deceased”, 2.3 per cent as “probably shifted”, 0.01 per cent are untraceable, and 0.75 per cent as enrolled in other places.

In addition, 5.2 per cent of voters have not returned their enumeration forms to the BLOs, which they need to do before July 25 to remain on the electoral list in Bihar.

Checking of voters’ documents to establish their citizenship will take place after the draft list is published on August 1.