Former enclave residents in Dinhata receive SIR notices

Cooch Behar: Residents of Dakshin Mashaldanga, Poatur Kuthi and other former enclaves in Dinhata subdivision have expressed concern after receiving hearing notices under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The affected residents submitted a memorandum to the Dinhata Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) on Friday, seeking immediate administrative intervention.

According to the residents, they were granted Indian citizenship following the historic India-Bangladesh enclave exchange agreement, which came into effect on July 31, 2015. However, they allege that women from these enclaves who were married prior to the agreement were excluded from the special survey conducted ahead of the exchange. As a result, many of them are now facing complications and are being issued SIR hearing notices.

So far, more than 200 residents from various former enclaves in the Dinhata area have reportedly received such notices. The residents claim that before 2015, over a thousand women from the enclaves had married and moved outside enclave territories. During the pre-exchange survey, officials reportedly informed the families that since these women had married into Indian territory, they were already considered Indian citizens and therefore did not need to be included in the enclave survey.

This omission, residents allege, has now led to uncertainty over their citizenship documentation.

Joynal Abedin, a resident of the former Mashaldanga enclave, said that hearing notices are now being issued after the submission of SIR forms.

He added: “The residents had earlier approached the District Magistrate’s office and have now submitted another representation to the Dinhata SDO, requesting expedited issuance of documents for women married before 2015 and formal establishment of their parental linkage.”

The administration has reportedly assured the residents that the matter will be examined.