Ordinary citizens are taking to the streets to protest the special intensive revision of Bengal’s electoral rolls.

The scale of protests intensified after February 28, when the Election Commission released a preliminary “final” post-SIR list showing 60 lakh voters marked “under adjudication” and over 5 lakh listed as “deleted”.

A genuine fear of mass disenfranchisement and social crisis has fuelled the demonstrations, said rights activists.

Most participants are not affiliated with mainstream political parties; they are individuals whose names, or the names of family members or neighbours, are under scrutiny. Many protesters, even those already confirmed as valid voters, joined to support others facing uncertainty.

On Wednesday evening, an indefinite sit-in began at Park Circus Maidan. On Thursday, more than 500 people gathered at Subodh Chandra Mullick Square and walked to Esplanade. Another rally is scheduled for Saturday, from Tea Board to the office of the chief electoral officer of Bengal.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee also launched her indefinite sit-in at Esplanade, protesting the alleged arbitrary deletions from the voters’ list.

Kushal Debnath, convener of Sangrami Gana Mancha, which organised Thursday’s rally, said: “The scale of protests has intensified because the fear is genuine, especially after the February 28 list. Suddenly, so many people are under adjudication — this has never happened in India before. The SIR campaign was promoted as a measure to weed out infiltrators, Bangladeshis and Rohingyas. But more than 65 lakh voters now face scrutiny through no fault of their own, including social scrutiny.”

The platform sent two deputations with letters — one to the EC and the other to the chief registrar of Calcutta High Court — demanding that elections be held only after the adjudication process is complete and that no valid voter is left out.

Saidur Rahman, an Arabic teacher at Alia University and a voter in Malda, was at Park Circus Maidan. His name is under adjudication. “It is apparently due to a name mismatch. I submitted my passport, birth certificate and Aadhaar card at a hearing, but my name is still under adjudication. Why? I am not a Bangladeshi or a Rohingya,” he said.

On Friday, protesters formed a human chain at Park Circus Maidan, a site with historical significance in Calcutta’s protest movements. Six years ago, women-led vigils against the Narendra Modi government’s CAA-NRC mobilised thousands here.

The Sara Bangla Bicharadhin Voter Mancha, launched last Sunday, has already reached tens of thousands across districts with the help of over 200 volunteers.

Even at Mamata’s Esplanade protest, many came not because they were Trinamool workers.

Swami Uttamananda, head of an ashram in Minakhan, North 24-Parganas, was one of them. The 2002 rolls bear his name as Uttam Das, his name before baptism. His Aadhaar says Swami Uttamananda. His name has been removed from the new list. He managed to meet Mamata, who assured him of support. “I don’t vote, but having my name deleted hurts as an Indian. I was born in East Midnapore and believe in serving the people. Perhaps that is my fault,” he said.

Mohammad Asraf Ali Molla, 54, travelled from Canning in South 24-Parganas to protest in front of the EC office in BBD Bag. Both he and his 76-year-old mother are under adjudication. “We provided all necessary documents, including my mother’s pension book. Why are our names still under adjudication? Where did our votes go all these years?” Molla asked.