2024 Bangladesh uprising protester found in Bengal's voter list

Kolkata, Jun 9 (PTI) A fresh political row has erupted in West Bengal after a person allegedly involved in Bangladesh’s August 2024 student protests was found listed as a voter in Kakdwip, triggering sharp BJP-TMC exchanges over alleged illegal infiltration and manipulation of the voter list in the state.

Several images of the person, identified as Niutan Das, participating in the 2024 quota reform protests in Bangladesh have surfaced online.

The protests played a significant role in regime change and the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the neighbouring country.

Despite the controversy, Das has claimed Indian citizenship and presented documents, including a PAN card and Aadhaar card, to support his claim.

PTI, however, couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the photos and videos.

"I had travelled to Bangladesh in 2024 for some issues related to our ancestral property, but I unexpectedly got caught up in the revolution there. I have been a voter in Kakdwip since 2014. Although I lost my voter card in 2017, I managed to get a new one the following year with help from the local MLA, Manturam Pakhira. I also cast my vote during the 2016 West Bengal Assembly elections," he said in a video message.

However, he did not clarify whether he resides in India or Bangladesh.

In a conflicting account, Das's cousin Tapan told reporters in Kakdwip that Niutan was "born in Bangladesh and exercises voting rights in both countries." "Niutan was born in Bangladesh and holds voting rights in both countries. He came to India after the pandemic to sell some ancestral land and has stayed here since. He should be held responsible for registering as a voter in both places, that's clearly not right," Tapan Das said.

The BJP has seized on the controversy, accusing the TMC of encouraging illegal immigration to manipulate electoral outcomes.

West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, in a social media post, described the latest incident as another shining example of the "so-called Egiye Bangla Model".

"This is another glaring example of the so-called 'Egiye Bangla Model.' The same person spotted wielding a stick during the student protests in Bangladesh is now a listed voter in Kakdwip. The TMC and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are fuelling this illegal infiltration network," he said.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that "lakhs of Bangladeshi nationals are registered as voters in West Bengal." "There are lakhs of Bangladeshi nationals who have made it to the voter rolls in West Bengal. Take the case of Saad Sheikh, a suspected member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team, whose name was in the Murshidabad voter list," he said.

BJP Mathurapur organisational district secretary Sanjay Das alleged that "the Trinamool Congress is actively helping Bangladeshi infiltrators, many of them jihadis, enter India. They're being handed voter cards and even citizenship just so the ruling party can stay in power." The TMC, in response, rejected the allegations, shifting the blame to the Centre and the Border Security Force (BSF), which guards the Indo-Bangladesh border.

"The Centre and the BSF are in charge of guarding the borders. Our state government will do its part, but it's up to the Union government to ensure security," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

Debashis Das, TMC's Sundarbans organisational district student wing president, clarified his association with Niuton Das, who was seen cutting cake with him in a viral birthday party photo.

"I had no idea he was involved in the Bangladesh protests. The photo going around was taken at a birthday celebration with many people present. If someone like him managed to cross the border, it just shows the BSF isn't doing its job properly. Strengthening border security is the only way to prevent such incidents. I urge the authorities to investigate and take action," he added.

The controversy gained traction after Banerjee's earlier allegations of voter list irregularities, where she claimed that voters from other states were using duplicate EPIC numbers in the state.

The BJP had countered those claims by alleging that Bangladeshi nationals were being registered as voters in the state at the behest of the ruling party.

As political parties continue to trade charges, calls for a thorough investigation into voter list integrity and illegal infiltration have intensified ahead of next year's assembly elections. PTI PNT MNB