Kolkata: Sahitya Akademi awardee and poet Joy Goswami is one of the 32 lakh unmapped voters in Bengal. Two days ago, the 72-year-old poet’s wife got a call from the EC, asking him to be present at a hearing. Goswami, who is recuperating from three surgeries will not attend the scheduled hearing on Jan 2. His daughter is peeved with the “pervasive politics of fear” that is at play to “harass Indian voters in the name of SIR”. Bukun, the poet’s daughter, described the situation as systemic harassment. “People are living in fear of what will happen next. Fear is the key now but my question is how long will we have to endure this? There should be an end of the pervasive politics of fear that is playing out in our country now to harass Indian voters in the name of SIR. I believe this is not only about Joy Goswami. It also about other Indians. I do not know if they are disrespecting and harassing people this way because it is Bengal. They know Bengal doesn’t want BJP in power and I can only hazard a guess and say there could be some other agenda behind spreading this fear of being disenfranchised,” she said.
Bukun, who addresses her father as Joy, told TOI that two days back, her mother received a call from EC. “His name is there in the 2025 voter list. So was mine. The call stated that Joy and I would have to attend a hearing on January 2. Joy didn’t have a voter ID card in 2002 and hence, couldn’t submit the required documents,” she said, adding that she father had exercised his franchise even in 2024. “He has even voted for the Kolkata Dakshin Parliamentary constituency. His polling station was Jadavpur Girls High School. Since my father’s documents were missing, I too have been called. My mother too didn’t have a voter card in 2002. But her mother had and hence, my mother could show that. My father’s parents passed away in Ranaghat long back and we don’t have those documents,” she added. The Goswami family previously lived in Jadavpur before shifting to Salt Lake. “Even after shifting to Salt Lake, we still went to Jadavpur to cast our franchise. This is such a huge harassment for all of us. It is not about my father alone. For any elderly person, this is so difficult. I have come across reports of how elderly people with asthma and pain in their joints who are finding it hugely difficult to stand in queues and face all this. My father will not be able to go. He underwent three surgeries in November and is no position to go for a hearing,” she added. Medical restrictions currently prevent the poet from travelling. “Travel is a no-no for him. His doctor has strictly said he shouldn’t travel where there is any risk of a jerk. I will go for the hearing and see if I can answer the queries regarding Joy’s documents. Both my parents are elderly. My father has lived in this state, has worked and served for so many years. Nobody anticipates that a day will come when he can be disenfranchised unless further proof is given,” she said. She stated that the SIR issue had not been discussed within the family in recent months. “I know how much this news of the hearing can hurt him and hence, have refrained from sharing it with him now. He is unwell and gets tired easily. I do not want to put him through this stress. If I get a second hearing date, I will first consult his doctor and then break the news to him,” she added. Education minister Bratya Basu has strongly reacted to this news. “This only goes on to expose BJP’s views of Bengal and its culture. Joy-da was recently hospitalised and I paid a visit to him there. If Joy Goswami can be called for a hearing, I fear Tagore too would have got call for a hearing had he been alive now. This call is an expression of the respect BJP has for Bengal and Bengalis. Joy-da is an Indian. He is a poet. He has migrated from Ranaghat to Kolkata some 40 years ago and has been a legitimate voter. I am not even talking about literary prowess. If BJP and EC can do this to Joy-da, any person can be called and told ‘ghus petiya’,” Basu said.
