Ex-Navy Chief Arun Prakash Asked to Verify Identity Under SIR

Authorities have asked former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) to appear before an electoral officer to verify his identity as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Goa. Admiral Prakash, a Vir Chakra awardee who has lived in Goa since retiring, said the authorities should improve the SIR forms if they fail to capture the required information from citizens. Election officials clarified that the voter list last updated in 2002 did not include his name, placing him in the “unmapped” category and requiring additional verification.

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Notice issued during electoral roll revision sparks debate over verification process

The notice sparked debate on social media, with several X users questioning the need for further identity verification when the former Navy chief’s Pension Payment Order (PPO) and life certificate are already available in government databases. South Goa District Returning Officer and Collector Egna Cleetus said that such notices are common in unmapped cases and confirmed that the authorities would review Admiral Prakash’s enumeration form and reach out to him. She added that the verification process is part of standard SIR procedures. Admiral Prakash expressed his concerns on X, stating that neither he nor his wife had ever sought special treatment and that they had duly filled the SIR forms.

However, he pointed out the inconvenience of being asked to travel 18 km on different dates despite their advanced age. Retired Army officers and veterans also weighed in, suggesting that technical or software issues may have caused the notice and arguing that existing official documents should suffice for verification. Some veterans stressed that better coordination and use of available government data could avoid unnecessary inconvenience to senior citizens. Despite the concerns raised, Admiral Prakash confirmed that he would comply with the Election Commission’s notice.

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