Kolkata, Jan. 11 -- Days after the Election Commission asked Nobel laureate Amartya Sen to appear for a hearing before his name can be included in the electoral roll, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner terming it "a matter of profound shame". She added that the hearing process has become largely mechanical, driven by data and lacked application of mind, sensitivity and human touch. "It is a matter of profound shame that Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, a nonagenarian and a globally respected intellectual, has been asked to appear before ECI officials to establish his credentials." The CM also cited cases of eminent poet Joy Goswami, Tollywood actor and TMC MP Deepak Adhikari, cricketer Mohammed Shami and a monk of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, who have been sent hearing notices. "Does this not amount to sheer audacity on the part of ECI? These are only a few examples of known personalities. There are many more who have been put to such undue harassment," she stated. The hearings are part of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. According to the draft electoral roll published on December 16, 2025, the state's electorate may shrink by 7.6%. EC is now in the process of vetting the rolls, and summoning people whose data shows some discrepancies for hearing. In Sen's case, EC officials have said this has to do with the difference between his age and that of his parents. htc...