4 min readKolkata, ThiruvananthapuramJun 30, 2026 05:30 AM IST
First published on: Jun 30, 2026 at 05:30 AM IST
The Special Branch of Kolkata Police has sought details of the passport application of former editor of The Telegraph, R Rajagopal, after he alleged that his passport had not been renewed following the deletion of his name from the electoral rolls in West Bengal during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list.
Assuring to resolve the issue “as quickly as possible”, Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Branch), Dhrubajyoti De told The Indian Express on Monday, “There was some issue of deletion of names of voters on the same address (Rajagopal’s address). I have sought the details of the file. Voter ID card may be asked for verification, and the absence of the voter ID card may raise a question, but it is not the definitive document for local enquiry for passports. I hope to get it resolved today itself. If it is found okay, another report will be sent to RPO (Regional Passport Office).”
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan wrote to his West Bengal counterpart Suvendu Adhikari seeking his intervention.
“I understand that the adverse report is based on the deletion of his (Rajagopal’s) name from the electoral roll under the SIR. While the electoral issue is being dealt with through an appropriate appeal process, I am informed that the police report has had the effect of delaying the renewal process of his passport. I would like to request your good self to kindly look into the matter with urgency,’’ the Congress CM wrote.
His predecessor and CPI(M) Politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan, in a Facebook post, said the authorities’ refusal to renew Rajagopal’s passport was shocking. “If this is the experience of a renowned editor, one can imagine the plight of ordinary people in the country. Rajagopal might have become a victim of retaliation because he is a strong critic of the BJP. The SIR has turned to be a weapon for advancing the divisive Hindutva agenda. It has to be ensured that citizenship is not decided based on SIR. When the rights of citizens are being trampled upon, those who love the country cannot remain silent,” said the Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly.
In a note on social media, Rajagopal had said that he missed his daughter’s wedding in the United States because he did not possess an active passport. “I think, in the first week of April, a police official called me from the Ballygunge police station and summoned me for police verification. He told me to carry my documents. When I asked which document, he told me, ‘Voter ID card.’ Then I told him, ‘But my name has been deleted from the electoral roll on March 27,’” Rajagopal had said.
Efforts to renew his passport since then have been unsuccessful, and he has received an appointment to appear before the Regional Passport Office (RPO) on July 17.
In a statement on Sunday, the Editors Guild of India said it “condemns the manner in which Rajagopal is being treated by the bureaucracy that gets to decide who is an Indian citizen and who is not”.
Meanwhile, “Wake Up Keralam,’’ a citizen-led cultural and political movement in Kerala, said, “If a prominent public figure with established credentials can be disenfranchised and face civic uncertainty, the predicament of ordinary citizens, particularly the marginalised and the less privileged, can only be imagined as far more severe and distressing.’’
“Rajagopal’s plight serves as a stark wake-up call. When a veteran editor encounters such difficulties, it lays bare the extreme vulnerability of the common citizen. Urgent judicial and administrative interventions are essential to safeguard the foundational rights to vote and travel, and to prevent the SIR from eroding the social fabric of Indian democracy,’’ the group said.
R Rajagopal, former editor of The Telegraph 
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