Anish Banerjee

Bastar- when you hear the name, perhaps what comes to mind is an impenetrable stretch of dense green sal forests, where even sunlight struggles to touch the ground. But beneath that thick green cover, something else is unfolding. Bastar is not just a forest. It is an ancient civilization, an enduring culture, and the living history of indigenous communities that stretch back thousands of years.

The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal has emerged as one of the most controversial voter verification exercises in recent years. Officially, the SIR is meant to “ensure that electoral rolls are accurate, up-to-date and inclusive”. However, the scale, pattern, and timing of deletions have raised serious concerns about disenfranchisement, particularly among Muslims and Adivasis.

Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Data Availability Statement The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. References 1, , and , “Fractal Cities: A Geometry of Form and Function,” Geographical Journal 162, no. 1 (1996): 1–13. 2, Chapter 3—Our Sustainability Challenges, ed. P. B. T.-S. Becker (Elsevier, 2014), 29–56. 3, “The Future of Cities,” Computers, Environment and Urban Systems 23, no.