Former The Telegraph editor R Rajagopal completed his biometrics at the Kolkata passport office for 101 days but is yet to receive his passport. He said he now feels “voteless, passportless” like millions of Indians.
Rajagopal has lived in Kolkata for over three decades and has worked for leading newspapers and magazines such as The Economic Times, India Today Magazine and Business Standard.
He is now looking for a clear answer as to why his passport was not renewed.
During the Special Intensive Revision of Voters’ List (SIR), Rajagopal’s name was removed from the electoral roll of West Bengal along with the names of over 9 million voters in the state. In a viral letter to the Prem Bhatia Award jury, the 57-year-old journalist wrote how his name was omitted from the voter list despite his permanent address being Kolkata in official documents.
“In March this year, my name was removed from the voter list of Ballygunge constituency in Kolkata, apparently because the special intensive correction process failed to find my name or that of my late father in the 2002 voter list,” he wrote.
Little did he realize at the time that dropping his name would trigger a battle to renew his passport.
Rajagopal’s passport expired in October 2025 and he applied for renewal on February 27 this year. On March 19, he completed the biometric formalities at the passport office in just half an hour.
“I finished the process very quickly,” he said. They wouldn’t have allowed me if there was a problem with my papers.’ Shortly thereafter, he received a message warning that “the file has been sent to Ballygunge police station”.
Rajgopal lives in Dover Road, Ballygunge. She expected the police to come for verification, just like they did when they renewed her daughter’s passport last year.
“My daughter got her renewed passport very soon. I expected the same but there was no question and I assumed the police were busy with their election duties for the assembly,” he said.
As his name was not in the voter list, after a few days he was asked by the police to submit some more documents. Rajagopal submitted his matriculation certificate and other documents but did not hear from them for several weeks.
He called the police station, where he was told “pathye dichi (sent)”. “I assume the file has been sent to the passport office”. However, there was no change in his passport status.
Rajagopal went to the police station, where he was told that his file had been sent to the “Security Control Organization (SCO)”.
Since then, Rajagopal has been struggling to get answers to his passport. He also sent an email to the Kolkata Police Commissioner but to no avail.
On June 17, he received an official communication from the Passport Regional Office, Kolkata citing an adverse report citing his name being omitted from the voter list.
“Smart, prudent decision by the authorities,” he said.
Rajagopal has now been asked to appear at the regional passport office in Kolkata “immediately”, but he has only got an appointment for July 17.
Official sources indicated that passports cannot be issued without police verification.
Rajagopal is currently fighting for his right to vote along with 9.1 million other people in West Bengal. “I was disqualified on grounds of inconsistency. Even after I submitted my matriculation certificate, no reason was submitted, and my application is now pending before a tribunal directed by the Supreme Court. As a result, I could not vote in the recent elections,” he wrote.
As a journalist, Rajgopal’s opinion was that journalists should not vote. But after the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, his view changed.
“But after 2014, naturally, people changed, and so did I. I thought what I did was wrong.”
Rajagopal first came to West Bengal from Delhi in 1991 and started working with the Economic Times. He then joined the Telegraph in 1996, where he remained until February 2025.
Rajagopal is known as a critic of Modi. Rajagopal from Kerala says he spent the best years of his life in Kolkata. His children who grew up here also have memories. They love Kolkata more than their home Kerala.
Many advised Rajagopal to relocate to Kerala and reapply for the passport. But the journalist didn’t want to, as the Dover Road house was listed as his permanent address in all documents.
“If I give up my claim here and apply from Kerala, people will assume that I have fled from Bengal and that there is something wrong with my position in Bengal.” “West Bengal has given my family and me everything in life. Why should I leave Bengal?”
Telegraph editor’s passport not being renewed in Calcutta
And. Rajagopal’s Notes
Former Editor, Telegraph
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In March this year, my name was deleted from the voter list of Ballygunge constituency in Kolkata, apparently because of the special intensive correction process…— Paranjoy Guthakurta (@paranjoygat) June 27, 2026
Rajagopal did not tell his daughter, who got married in San Francisco in April. “I had no plans to attend the wedding, but I wanted to because I didn’t have a passport,” he said, adding that his daughter wanted him to be there.
She said, “I hope my daughters don’t read the articles, because they love Calcutta and it would be very sad”.