Many Bengali-speaking persons here would not be able to cast vote in the ensuing poll, thanks to faulty enumeration. They are considered as Bangladeshi infiltrators, who have been slapped with a notice to quit India.
Meet middle aged Manoranjan Mandal. As per the records possessed by him, he is an Indian national, but he has been denied to exercise his voting franchise as the district administration has deleted his names from the voter list.
According to Manoranjan, son of Nabin Mandal of Jhatinuagaon colony of Bhusandapur area under Tangi block of Khurda district, his family came to settle at Mahakalapada block’s seaside Ramnagar village 22 years back. But due to faulty enumeration drive, the State Government had slapped quit India notice on his family on January 15, 2005.
“Some officials with four to five armed police personnel came to my house and asked us to receive the notice by directing me and my family to leave the country within 30 days,” said Manoranjan.
He added that even the notice served to his family was faulty as his wife’s name was printed as laxmi Mandal where as the actual name is Rekha Mandal.
“Here in Ramnagar, I also possess voter identity card, Adhar card and various other resident identity documents. Even, I and my wife have cast vote several times in the past elections. But, since last two elections, my name and my wife’s name have been deleted in the voter list,” lamented Manoranjan.
“I do not want to lead a cursed life. If the Government terms me and my family as Bangladeshi, then necessary steps should be taken by the Government to deport us. Else, the State Government should provide us all the benefits under various schemes and allow us to exercise our voting right,” Manoranjan demanded.
like Manoranjan, many persons are undergoing similar tribulations and have been dropped from the electoral roll this time. Gokul Bera is another example.
He, his father, mother, wife, younger brother and his sister-in-law have received quit India notice. Though Bera’s origin was in Kanthi under West Bengal, but his father settled here more than four decades ago.
“Due to the faulty enumeration drive, my family is denied to get any Government benefits though my family has obtained Adhar cards for all members, ration card and voter identity cards, besides land records in Ramnagar,” stated Bera.
“We have also cast votes three times earlier, but since last general election, our names have been deleted from the voter list. When we had gone to cast our vote in general election in 2014, we were not allowed,” said Bera’s wife Arati.
In the case of Kalipada Haldar, the situation is different. Though his father and mother, who were Bangladeshis, came to India before December 16, 1971 and were rehabilitated by the Indian Government as registered refugees and resettled in the coastal pocket of Ramnagar, now his family is also treated as illegal settler and has been served notice to quit the country.
But Haldar and wife’s names are in the voter list, while they are not entitled to enjoy Government doles under various schemes.
“If I have been served quit India notice, then why the Government has been giving us the opportunity to cast votesIJ” Haldar asked.
If sources are to be believed, several people, who were the permanent citizen of India and residing in the State for over last four generations, have been termed as Bangladeshis immigrants. Some of them have been debarred from exercising their voting rights.
When contacted, district Collector Muralidhar Mallik stated that those persons whose names are not enlisted in the voter list would not be allowed to cast votes in the panchayat poll.