A volleyball court in a North 24-Parganas village is doubling as a help centre for residents navigating the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal. Volunteers from a political party without any elected representatives in the state have been working tirelessly, fielding questions from a steady stream of visitors.
The village in Naihati, around 60km from central Calcutta and a 10-minute drive from Kalyani Expressway, has more than 1,200 voters. The population is predominantly Muslim, with several tribal households. Most visitors to the camp are women, many of whom have not completed Class X and lack formal documents, such as birth certificates or records of land and property ownership.
“We are Indians, but we do not have resources. There is a genuine fear among people like us,” said a 36-year-old Muslim woman.
“Until a few years ago, we had never heard of detention camps. Now, we see them on TV and hear that people will be sent there. It appears that we are applying to be included on the voters’ list. But what about the votes we cast in past elections? If they were invalid, what does that mean for the governments elected before?” she said.
Her parents live in Kanchrapara. Married at 15, she has two sons, while her husband works at a poultry farm.
She has a voter card and an Aadhaar card. She was delivered at home by a midwife and has studied till Class VIII. However, her name appears on the current voters’ list, while her parents are on the 2002 rolls. The lack of supporting documents, however, leaves her apprehensive.
The situation is even more precarious for a tribal woman in her late thirties who was born and raised in Odisha and moved to Bengal after marriage. Her name does not appear in the 2002 rolls, and her parents are dead. She is unlettered. Without a birth certificate or school leaving certificate, she struggles to prove her identity.
“We already have enough concerns, mostly about livelihood. Now we have the burden of proving that we are Indians. We feel helpless,” she said. She and her husband once had a steady income under the 100-day rural job scheme, which has remained dormant in Bengal since December 2020 after the Narendra Modi government halted the release of funds, citing corruption. Calcutta High Court recently directed the scheme to resume immediately.
During an hour-long visit to the camp last week, this newspaper saw a spartan setup: a few chairs, a centre table, two benches, and a single halogen bulb. During that time, more than 15 villagers had their forms filled out. They came with their documents. Even literate visitors hesitated to complete forms themselves, fearing mistakes. Spelling mismatches in documents have only heightened these fears.
The help centre is run by the North 24-Parganas unit of CPI(ML) Liberation.
“Why do villagers trust your volunteers to fill up the forms?” this newspaper asked Subrata Sengupta, secretary of the unit. “We have earned their trust. For the past three months, we have been organising campaigns to raise awareness about SIR. Now that it’s here, we want to make sure no one is left out,” Sengupta said.
The CPI(ML) Liberation has no MLAs in Bengal, but it operates at the grassroots and maintains a strong organisation in some districts.
Mitali Biswas of the party’s women’s wing, the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), said: “The women in the village are more vulnerable because they have far fewer documents than men. Most land records are in the names of male family members. Many of the women were not born in hospitals and lack birth certificates. Nor do they have domicile certificates.”
Among the volunteers is a 24-year-old village resident and alumna of Rishi Bankim Chandra College for Women in Naihati, where she studied history. A mother of an 18-month-old boy, she tutors local children. A Liberation worker described her as “very intelligent and a quick learner” as she helped fill out several forms.
“There is a sense of fear surrounding the SIR. I am trying to help people in my own way,” she told Metro.