Cooch Behar, November 08 (Siliguri Chronicle) – Women from former Bangladeshi enclaves in Cooch Behar who got married before 2015 and moved to Indian territory were on Friday assured by government officials that they would be covered under the SIR process.
The assurance comes nearly a decade after 51 Bangladeshi enclaves became part of India at midnight on July 31, 2015. Residents of these enclaves received Indian voter cards and other identification documents as part of the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) drive that followed the merger.
Many women from the erstwhile Bangladeshi enclaves in Cooch Behar, who married into families in mainland India before 2015, have faced difficulties in getting their names on the voter list as their parents were not Indian citizens at the time.
On Thursday, a delegation of former enclave residents met additional district magistrate Shantanu Bala, who assured them that these women would be included in the SIR process. The delegation also submitted a list of around 1,500 such 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.
