Residents in Bengal's Malda, Murshidabad rush for birth documents amidst SIR of electoral roll fears

Malda/Murshidabad (WB), Aug 30 (PTI) Residents belonging to minority communities in two border districts of West Bengal, Malda and Murshidabad, have been flocking to municipal offices, gram panchayats, and local courts to collect documents having proof of their birthplaces and dates, as the fear of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls looms large.

In Malda, middlemen are charging Rs 1,900 to help residents prepare affidavits and submit them online for birth certificates.

They are taking groups of 50-80 people to local courts, and cyber cafés are making money from the increased demand for both soft and hard copies of birth certificates, a local advocate said.

"The majority of those seeking these documents are from the minority community, and this trend has intensified in the last 15-20 days," the advocate added.

Subhamay Basu, chairman-in-council and TMC councillor of English Bazar Municipality, said over the past two weeks, the trend has intensified, increasing the workload of civic body staff.

There has been growing pressure from residents to obtain certificates proving their birth year and place by submitting other relevant documents, he added.

"Long queues are seen at the designated counters, and they keep growing every day. We are assigning more staff to manage the queues, and the civic body has set up a special cell to handle the rush. However, we are ensuring that no case goes unattended," he said.

A district official said people are coming from 146 gram panchayat areas of Malda, including Ratua, Kaliachak, and Sujapur, as well as other minority-dominated regions in the district.

"Affidavits issued by a notary public are no longer sufficient. Now, they must be verified by the municipality chairman, panchayat pradhan, and judicial magistrate. People are eager to get this done quickly, despite their daily tasks. Addressing the SIR issue and ensuring their cases are foolproof has become a top priority for them," a panchayat official said.

However, Sulekha Choudhury, the former gram panchayat pradhan of Pardeonapur Sobhapur, said that there isn't as much stress or pressure in her area.

In Murshidabad district's Jalangi, Raninagar, Domkal, Beldanga, Hariharpara, Suti, Samsherganj, and Farakka, the rush to "correct and procure" birth certificates has also intensified, a district official said.

"Yes, in the past 15-20 days, there has been a rush at the offices of BLO, BDO, municipalities, and panchayats to get the necessary papers. These people already have voter IDs, Aadhaar cards, and other documents, but they want to be absolutely certain that their names are not removed from the updated voter list," said Amirul Islam, a Congress panchayat member from Beldanga.

If they have the required documents, we are guiding them, but there is no leniency, he added.

"They fear of being deported to Bangladesh, even though they've lived here for generations. That's why there's this frantic rush for papers. Conversations at local tea stalls and news on social media also fuel their anxiety," Islam said.

Striking a different note, TMC Murshidabad district president and MP Abu Taher said, "While people, particularly minorities, were anxious about SIR previously, but now after the SC's order, they are not scared any more about losing the right to vote." "We are also making people aware not to panic, but keep their documents in order. We will not allow SIR in West Bengal. This is BJP's divisive policy using the EC," he added.

He, however, admitted that "a small section of people in villages, mostly elderly, may be still under fear. But we are regularly undertaking outreach programmes to dispel any fear." The Election Commission (EC) sent a letter to the chief secretary and district authorities on August 27 regarding the revision of electoral rolls. Assembly elections in the state are scheduled to be held next year. PTI COR SUS MNB