Guwahati, Nov. 10: The Election Commission has directed the state election commission to retain the “D” mark — indicating “doubtful” — against the names of over three lakh voters in Assam during summary revision of the electoral rolls.

The fresh directive might just renew the acrimony between people who want the controversial designation deleted and those alleging that “foreigners” have been included in the voters’ list.

The Election Commission has asked for maintenance of “status quo” in respect of more than three lakh “doubtful” voters in the state.

Following the directive, the chief electoral officer of Assam has issued a message to all deputy commissioners, asking them to retain the “D” mark against the names of all “doubtful/disputed” voters.

“The remark “D” should continue to be inserted against the serial number of the names as per commission’s instruction of 1997 which is still in force,” the wireless telegraphic message issued to the DCs said.

The Election Commission issued the fresh directive for a summary revision of voters list in the state with January 1, 2003, as qualifying date.

In 1998, the Election Commission ordered provisional inclusion in the electoral rolls the names of 3,13,043 people about whose citizenship the electoral registration officers were not satisfied and had reasonable doubts.

They were referred to tribunals under the Foreigners Act 1946 and the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, 1983, for determining their citizenship.

The provisional inclusion stipulated that before final publication of the rolls, the letter “D” be indicated against their names to denote the fact that their citizenship is doubtful/disputed and pending before the tribunals.

In course of the intensive revision of the electoral rolls in 1997, about 18 lakh names in the draft rolls were of doubtful status, of which about 12.3 lakh names were accepted by the electoral officers.

The draft electoral rolls were published on July 22, 1997, and the final rolls on December 9, 1997.

On January 5, 1998, the Election Commission barred all persons against whose names “D” was indicated in the electoral rolls from exercising their franchise and contesting elections.

Debarring of these persons from exercising their franchise had sparked off protests from minority organisations, which moved court seeking revocation of the order.

The All-Assam Students’ Union (AASU), however, claimed that the identification of “D” voters had vindicated their stand of unabated influx of illegal migrants and subsequent inclusion of their names in the voters list.

The student body demanded preparation of a correct voters list by deleting the names of “D” voters.

The Congress had promised in its election manifesto to initiate steps for revocation of the Election Commission directive.

However, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi — in his report on the progress on the manifesto submitted at the Mount Abu conclave — skirted a controversy by stating: “Our government has always demanded the preparation of a voters’ list by inclusion of the names of all Indian citizens.”

Gogoi also stated in his 41-page report that, at present, there were 11 foreigners tribunals for detection of the 1966-71 stream and 16 tribunals under the IMDT Act for detection and deportation of post-1971 foreigners.

Of the 5,16,725 inquiries initiated by the tribunals, 26,047 people were declared foreigners by the tribunals and 26,538 people were declared foreigners of the 1966-71 stream. Altogether 12,527 cases are pending in the foreigners tribunals.

Of the 3,48,725 inquiries initiated by the tribunals under the IMDT Act, inquiries have been completed in respect of 3,42,281 inquiries and 10,693 people were declared illegal migrants.

While 5,966 persons were served expulsion orders, only 1,496 persons have been expelled so far. As many as 25,374 persons have been identified as fresh/re-infiltrators from Bangladesh.