SIR enquiry taking over West Bengal
Several West Bengal based sports personalities called for enquiry
Mohammed Shami and Jhulan Goswami among those notable people
In January 2026, the term SIR (Special Intensive Revision) has been making headlines in India, particularly in West Bengal, where high-profile sports personalities have been summoned by the Election Commission.
SIR is a process used by the Election Commission of India to double-check and update the official list of voters.
During an SIR, officials look for mistakes, remove the names of people who have moved or passed away, and add new voters.
In 2026, it became controversial because several famous sports stars were summoned to prove their citizenship in person due to missing old records.
While the government calls it a routine update to ensure everyone is a valid citizen, many see it as a stressful and unnecessary hurdle for honest residents.
Although it is currently in full flow in West Bengal due to the upcoming elections there, SIR will become a nationwide thing in the near future.
This initiative has not only been applied to the normal population, but a number of sports personalities have also come under the radar. Here are the 5 athletes who have been summoned by the SIR to prove their citizenship.
Mohammed Shami - He is perhaps the biggest name that has been summoned by the SIR unit in West Bengal ahead of the elections.
The Indian pacer, who won the ICC Champions Trophy last year, publicly stated that he is a proud Bengali citizen and that if called 10 times, then he would appear every single time to prove his citizenship.
Jhulan Goswami - The legendary former pacer was summoned alongside her siblings over a minor spelling mismatch in her father’s name across different documents. She did not have to appear in person.
Mehtab Hossain - The former Indian football captain was summoned due to discrepancies in his mother’s middle name. He got outraged and joined protests in Kolkata, calling it a tragic farce" that established citizens and their elderly families are being forced into long queues to prove their nationality.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla: The former cricketer and ex-minister missed his January 7 hearing while coaching the Bengal team in Rajkot. Officials flagged his SIR form as incomplete which led to a public protest where he questioned why athletes who wore the India jersey must prove their citizenships.
Compton Dutta: The 1982 Asian Games football star personally attended his hearing in Salt Lake. He famously presented every Indian passport he has held since 1975 to verify his identity, reportedly putting officials to "shame" as they scrambled to take selfies with the veteran.
