A man whose family had donated land for setting up an undergraduate college in the Sundarbans has been struck off the electoral rolls.

Zaidul Haque, 60, said the college in Gosaba’s Pathankhali is named after his grandfather, and that his father had donated the land for it in the 1960s. Hurt and disappointed, Zaidul has filed an online appeal with the appellate tribunal.

“Sundarban Hazi Desarat College is named after my grandfather, Hazi Desarat. Our family donated 40 bigha of land to set up the college after my grandfather passed away in the mid-1950s. It soon received affiliation from Calcutta University,” said Zaidul.

Zaidul Haque

Zaidul said his family owned hundreds of bighas of land in the area. In the 1950s, the government put a ceiling on how much land a person could hold. The family decided to donate the excess land to set up the college. “There was a need for a college. My father thought something should be built on the land that benefits everyone,” he said.

The college’s website states that it offers undergraduate courses in arts, science and commerce, with over 2,500 students currently pursuing bachelor’s degrees across seventeen departments.

Earlier, the family had also donated land to set up a primary health centre in Mograhat.

When the post-SIR final roll was published on February 28, Zaidul’s name was put “under adjudication” in the Mograhat Purba Assembly constituency of South 24-Parganas. His wife, two daughters and son are on the voter’s list.

Over 60.06 lakh people were put under adjudication. Of them, more than 27 lakh have been deleted from the electoral roll.

Called for a hearing, Zaidul submitted his passport, Madhyamik admit card, PAN card and Aadhar card. Yet, he was struck off the rolls.

“I was nominated for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), run by the US government. I represented India and went to the US on an Indian passport, but the same passport could not clear my name from the list of under adjudication,” he said.

A passport was among the 13 documents listed by the Election Commission in the enumeration forms distributed to voters, which could be submitted if required.

“Our family has been living here since before Independence. It is humiliating that someone from a family that has lived for generations has been removed from the electoral roll,” he said.

Zaidul said his name appeared as Zaidul Molla in the 2002 voter list. After he submitted documents establishing his correct name as Zaidul Haque, the EC updated the records and issued him a new voter card. “The same poll panel that issued me a voter card with the correct name now refuses to recognise me,” he said.

Like tens of thousands of other deleted voters, Zaidul has filed an appeal before the appellate tribunals set up to hear such cases. It appears unlikely, however, that he will be able to vote in the Assembly elections.

He has now submitted 23 documents — including a land deed in his name and his passport — to the district magistrate of South 24-Parganas, hoping these will be forwarded to the tribunal.