Kendrapada: Concerns have emerged over whether the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Odisha will be able to identify and remove the names of alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from the voter list.
Sources claim that some individuals are maintaining one identity at their original place of residence and a different one at their present address, making verification difficult. A youth Amit Ray, who is alleged to be the son of Ashalata and Bidhan Ray and a resident of Arulia village under Chhatalmari police limits in Bangladesh’s Bagerhat district is a case in point.
He reportedly passed his secondary examination under the Bangladesh Technical Education Board in 2009 and obtained a certificate from Pinky Computer Training Centre in Barisal in 2011. However, it is alleged that Amit Ray is also listed as a resident of Barakolikhala village in Mahakalapada block of Kendrapara district.
For the past five years, he has reportedly been known locally as the son of Subhadra and Bikash Ray. The report further claims he secured a school certificate showing he studied at Ramnagar’s Saraswati Shishu Mandir between 2002 and 2010 and later used the document to obtain a voter identity card and other government-issued certificates.
The report alleges that Amit Ray’s name may not be removed during the SIR, as he is recorded as the son of Bikash Ray in official records because of these documents. It further claims that similar cases exist in Mahaka lapada, Rajnagar and Rajkanika blocks, where alleged infiltrators have established local identities through family records and supporting documents.
The report also raises questions over the verification process, alleging that some personnel engaged in the SIR exercise themselves may be infiltrators. However, no official confirmation or evidence has been provided to substantiate these claims.
More than 60,000 SIR forms had not been returned to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Kendrapada district as of July 1, raising concerns over voter verification in several Assembly constituencies. According to official data, the district received 12,51,135 SIR forms, of which 11,90,518 were distributed to eligible residents for verification.
By July 1, a total of 60,611 forms had not been submitted to BLOs. The figures indicate that Mahakalapada Assembly constituency, which has long been at the centre of allegations of illegal immigration, recorded the non-submission of 10,136 forms.
In comparison, Aali Assembly constituency, known for its large migrant workforce, reported 13,667 unreturned forms despite having a comparable population. The disparity has triggered questions over the participation of migrant workers in the verification exercise.
Local intelligentsia Ganesh Chandra Samal, Radhakanta Mohanty, Sushanta Das and Chittaranjan Das alleged that the SIR exercise has failed to effectively identify suspected illegal immigrants in the district. They claimed that although 1,649 suspected illegal immigrants were identified in Kendrapada in 2004 and 1,551 received deportation notices in 2005, many are still believed to be living in the district.
They also alleged lack of action against 236 people identified as suspected illegal immigrants during the 2019 electoral roll revision.
They further pointed to alleged irregularities in voter rolls, citing Lunagheri village in Mahakalapada block and Charigharia village in Rajnagar block. According to them, each village earlier had only four families, but the electoral rolls prepared for the 2024 elections listed more than 200 voters from each village.
The group also cited Census data, claiming that while only 1,237 Bangladeshi settlers were officially rehabilitated in Kendrapada between 1951 and 1978, the 2011 Census recorded more than 78,000 Bengali-speaking residents in the district.
They further alleged that over 200 villages in the district’s coastal and remote areas have predominantly Bengali-speaking populations and questioned the transparency of the SIR process, alleging that some of the officials involved in the exercise themselves are suspected illegal immigrants. However, they did not provide evidence to support the allegation.
Responding to the concerns, SIR district officer Amiya Ketan Swain said the draft electoral roll will be published July 5, after which detailed district-wise data will be available.
He said authorities would take appropriate action if any verified information regarding illegal immigrants emerged during the revision process.
