Even as Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts go for polls on Feburary 11, social organisations that are working for the riot-hit victims here strongly believe that a large population will not be able to vote as they remain unregistered.
Akram Akhtar Chowdhary from the Aman Biradari organisation, who belongs to Shamli and has been actively working with the victims since 2013, told The Pioneer that he had already sent an email to the Election Commission of India and the the State Election Commission of Uttar Pradesh, informing them about the registration problems being
faced by victims in Shamli and Muzaffarnagar.
Chowdhary, who gave up his llB course at the Delhi University to serve the people, said because riot-hit victim families moved to other mohallas in the district and also outside it, they have not been registered as proper surveys were not carried out by Booth level Officers.
In the complaint he has said, “Due to the riots in Muzaffarnagar in 2013, a large population was displaced forcefully from their native villages and they are settled in different areas of tehseel Budhana district of Muzaffarnagar. There is election ahead but a large displaced population has failed to get themselves registered in voting list in Muzaffarnagar. In Kassaban, Shahpur around 40 per cent of people have not been registered. In Fidaye Millat Nagar, Shahpur 30 per cent people have been left out. In Shafipur Patti, Budhana, 30 per cent voters have been left out. In Jaula, Budhana, 20 per cent residents have been left out and in Neem Khedi, Budhana, 20 per cent have been left out.”
Talking about Shamli district, he has written in his complaint that 2,800 families of those settled in tehseel Kairana in Shamli district since 2013 are still waiting to register their name in the voters list. People from Kandhla Dehat , Kandhla town, Kairana town, Kairana dehat and Dabhedi Khurd are also not on voters list.
“The local Booth level Officers (BlOs) were not bothered to enroll them in the voters list. Please take action soon as the election is ahead” he wrote. Chowdhary said approximately 4,000-6,000 people will not be able to vote from both Shamli and the Muzaffarnagar.
Rehana from the Astitva organisation that works in Muzaffarnagar concurred with Chowdhary. “There could be 35 per cent people who have not been registered for voting in the Muzaffarnagar district and 35 per cent in Shamli. We were so busy with their rehabilitation that we forgot about their registration as voters. We did approach the administration that directed us to BlOs. But by that time it was too late and things are yet to move in the right direction,” she said.