55 tribal voters in Bankura village reject SIR and enumeration forms

As the last day and hour for submitting filled up enumeration forms in the SIR process expired yesterday evening, 55 eligible tribal voters in the Ranibandh region of Bankura remained adamant and refused to do so, despite persuasion by the local administration.

The residents of Muchikata village under Ranibandh Police Station, along with some tribal villagers of Buribandh village in Manbazar-2 block of Purulia, had consistently been reluctant to take part in the SIR process, refusing to accept the enumeration forms from Booth Level Officers on the plea that they were enrolled with Samajwadi Majhi Sarkar – an unrecognised organisation that had sold them identity cards with the promise of “guaranteed nationality” and free train and air journeys, water and electricity, since they were the original inhabitants of the land.

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The police had recently arrested Bhavendra Marandi, the kingpin of the fictitious organisation, from Purunia village of Mayurbhanj district in Odisha. Two others – Santosh Mandi of Kechapal in Barikul, Bankura, and Bipin Behari Besra of Bandwan, Purulia – were also booked for selling such unauthorised cards against Rs 3,000 each and for giving false promises.

The district authorities had launched intensified campaigns and door-to-door persuasion in the tribal villages aiming to bring the ‘rebels’ into the SIR fold. Initially, 130 families in the two districts had declined to accept the forms. A large chunk of them finally agreed and submitted the forms. But 55 members from Muchikata village ultimately remained reluctant till the time of closure of submission hours last evening. Purulia District Magistrate Sudhir Kumar Nilkantham said only two persons of Taldanga Tola in Bandwan did not submit their forms.

Alongside the convincing efforts by the district administration, a tribal front, the Bharat Zakat Majhi Parghana Mahal, was enlisted to persuade the hesitant villagers. This yielded some positive impacts, but the 55 tribal voters ultimately declined to accept. Shyam Mandi, chief of Parghana Mahal in Bankura, said: “Alongwith the district administration, we could secure more than 50 per cent submissions in the negative pockets. But one lady, Geeta Murmu, representing the Majhi Sarkar, arrived at Muchikata from Odisha last Tuesday and spoiled our efforts.”