Bengal SIR: Anxiety deepens among ex-enclave residents in Cooch Behar

Residents of former Bangladeshi enclaves in Cooch Behar are refusing to accept enumeration forms for West Bengal’s ongoing SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls, citing fears of disenfranchisement nearly a decade after they were granted Indian citizenship.

The anxiety is widespread in the area, with a majority of the roughly 15,000 residents affected by the 2015 India–Bangladesh enclave exchange declining to participate in the door-to-door verification process.

The core concern arises from the SIR’s reliance on the 2002 electoral rolls as the base document for automatic inclusion.

None of the enclave residents existed in those rolls, as their citizenship was awarded only after the midnight exchange of territories on 31 July 2015, which transferred 111 Indian enclaves to Bangladesh and absorbed 51 Bangladeshi enclaves into India.

At the district magistrate’s office in Cooch Behar on Thursday, Saddam Hossain of Powaturkuthi voiced what many described as an existential fear. “Neither we nor our parents were on the 2002 list. We cannot fill the second part of the enumeration form. Most of us also don’t have all 11 documents listed by the EC. What happens if our names are deleted? Will we lose citizenship again?” he told PTI.

Residents say the uncertainty is particularly harsh because the community has spent decades fighting statelessness. After 2015, they were issued EPIC, PAN and Aadhaar cards, and received lease rights over the 7,110 acres incorporated into India.

Yet many allege that khatiyan (record-of-rights) documents remain flawed or incomplete.

State chief electoral officer Manoj Agarwal earlier told PTI that enclave residents would “face no problem at all”, noting that detailed headcounts were already available with the Union home ministry, the state government and the district election office. But the assurances have not quelled local panic.

ECI Team in West Bengal to review progress of Special Intensive Revision

“Despite what the CEO said, BLOs have come with forms but no answers. The EC must issue an official clarification,” said Jaynal Abedin of Madhya Mashaldanga.

Concerns are not limited to enclave residents. Non-resident Indians say they are unable to download forms due to restricted access to Indian government websites. “I cannot open the CEO portal from Melbourne. I have no family in Kolkata to help,” said IT professional Nirupam Deb. His BLO reportedly told him she would consult senior officers.

Adding to the frustration, the EC’s promise to make enumeration forms available online from Thursday morning remained unmet. The option was still unavailable on the CEO West Bengal portal by evening, with officials citing “backend technical glitches” three days into the exercise.

Even booth-level officers themselves have begun expressing dissatisfaction. One BLO, posting a reel on Facebook, said she had received “only one-fourth” of the required enumeration forms. “I am having to visit the same households multiple times. The Commission must supply all forms together,” she said.

With an ECI delegation currently reviewing SIR implementation in West Bengal, officials are being confronted with growing questions — from enclave residents fearful of losing newly acquired rights to BLOs struggling with logistical gaps — pointing to deeper systemic challenges ahead of the 2026 revision deadline.

With PTI inputs

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