Several eligible voters among the tribal families in Bankura and Purulia are still reluctant to fill up and submit enumeration forms under the influence of ‘Majhi Sarkar’ leaders, despite the recent arrest of three of them in the region, and the efforts of the local administrations to win their faith in the national democratic process.
These Samajwadi Majhi Sarkar tribal families, influenced by the Majhi (or local/traditional headman) system, are reportedly refusing to fill the forms in the SIR process due to a distrust inculcated by the Majhi leaders. These families apparently fear exclusion or manipulation, possibly linked to political concerns around the ongoing electoral roll revision, leading to confusion and local resistance.
Three Majhi Sarkar representatives were recently arrested from Khatra in Bankura, Bandwan in Purulia and Mayurbhanj in Odisha on charges of trying to block national integrity and persuading non-participation in the enumeration exercise. Majhi sarkar is a traditional, self-governing system among certain tribal communities in central and eastern India.
Though the respective district administrations managed to convince some of the reluctant groups after the arrest of these leaders, the majority were yet to collect forms, official sources said. As many as 130 tribal families of Ranibandh in the Barikul Police Station area of Bankura’s Khatra sub-division, and about 40 families in Purulia’s Bandwan block haven’t submitted the enumeration forms as yet under the influence of the Majhi Sarkar representatives.
They claimed they owe allegiance to their ‘own’ Majhi Sarkar and don’t need to accept Indian citizenship, as they have already procured identity cards of Majhi Sarkar. This movement is reportedly headquartered in Chhatisgarh, with an operational base in Odisha, according to inputs with the district officials.
Based on tip offs from district intelligence officials, the Bengal police, with help from the Odisha police, intercepted one Bhavendra Marandi in Purulia village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district three days ago. Bhavendra allegedly sold identity cards of the Samajwadi Inter-State Majhi Sarkar to the Bankura and Bandwan families of Bengal against Rs 3,000 each. He had two operating heads for these two districts – Santosh Mandi of Fulkusma in Barikul Police Station area in Bankura and Bipin Bihari Besra of Bandwan, Purulia. Santosh was intercepted in Kechapal in Barikul Sunday late night and Bipin from Kukrudabor village in Bandwan.
Bhavendra and Santosh were ordered seven days police remand by the Khatra Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate. The SDM, Khatra, Dr Shubham Mourya, told The Statesman: “We have enlisted some tribal groups to propagate mass awareness further and the block administrations too have been beefed up for the purpose.” He added:”Of the 130-odd families, eight to ten families accepted enumeration forms yesterday.”
The ruling Trinamul Congress, while trying to estimate the penetration of the issue, is giving importance to this problem. Bengal government’s Tribal Development Cultural Board head Gangaram Murmu, who also heads the Scheduled Tribe front of the TMC in Bankura, said: “These villagers, with so-called affiliation to the fake Sarkar, have actually been cheated by the bluffers. Some unscrupulous persons have brainwashed them for their personal gains, which we are trying to resist.”