Women of erstwhile Bangladeshi enclaves in Cooch Behar who got married before 2015 and moved out of these areas into Indian territory were assured by government officials on Friday that they would be included in the SIR process.

Fifty-one Bangladeshi enclaves merged with India at midnight on July 31, 2015. These residents got Indian voter cards and other documents relevant to the SIR drive after that.

Many women residents of these erstwhile enclaves who married into families residing in mainland Indian territories before 2015 faced hurdles in voter registration because their parents were not Indian citizens before that year.

On Thursday, a delegation of former enclave dwellers met additional district magistrate Shantanu Bala, who assured them that such women could be included in the SIR process. Residents handed over a list of around 1,500 women to the ADM’s office.

“The ADM assured us there would be no problem in including our daughters in the voter list. The father’s identity will confirm these women are from former enclaves,” said Saddam Mian, a former enclave dweller.