Photo by Bibhash Lodh/BS News Agency.
Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency, Kolkata: Sex workers living in Sonagachi and other brothels in Kolkata and thousands of people associated with this profession in Bengal have approached the Election Commission so that they do not face any problem in filling the SIR form.
Today, members of the Hindu Mahasabha, led by state president Dr. Chandrachud Goswami, paid a courtesy call on sex workers in the Sonagachi area and then submitted a deputation to the Election Commission demanding special facilities for sex workers. Then, the letter of cooperation to the sex workers and the receipt copy of the deputation to the Election Commission were handed over by the Hindu Mahasabha to Visakha Laskar, secretary of Durbar Mahila Samadhi Committee, the largest organization of sex workers. When asked about this, Hindu Mahasabha State President Dr. Chandrachud Goswami said that sex workers are facing several social and technical problems as a result of the SIR program adopted by the Election Commission of India. The main problem of sex workers in the Sobhabazar Sonagachi area and in different parts of Bengal in filling out the forms is that they are away from home for a long time. Moreover, their family members often hesitate to provide information due to the fear of public shame due to their association with the sex profession. This problem is even more so in the case of flying sex workers. But since voting is a fundamental right of all Indians, we, on behalf of one of the oldest political parties in India, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, have appealed to the Election Commission of India to take special measures after considering the problems of sex workers sincerely. In addition to strongly advocating for recognition of the sex profession, if the sex workers agree, we are also interested in fielding sex workers in various constituencies on behalf of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha in the upcoming 2026 assembly elections. We never consider the place where the idol of Goddess Durga is made as a forbidden village, rather we believe that they are an integral part of our society, so their democratic rights must be protected. Today, on behalf of the Hindu Mahasabha, Office Secretary Anamika Mondal, SIR Program Convener Ashutosh Majumdar, Sameeran Chowdhury, Soma De Mondal, Tarunkanti Mondal, Uttam Debnath, Saroj Bhattacharya, Devanarayan Ghosh, Sanjay Manna and other state leaders were present. This incredible initiative of the Hindu Mahasabha was warmly welcomed by the Secretary of the Durbar Women's Coordination Committee, Visakha Laskar, and other members of this organization. In the coming days, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha and the Durbar Women's Coordination Committee will work together to protect the democratic rights of the people, according to the news of the informed community.