Lost votes, lost identity: Fear & anxiety grip West Bengal's Mothabari villages

Mothabari (Malda): Mothabari, a nondescript hamlet in Kaliachak Block II of Malda district in West Bengal, remained largely unknown until Wednesday night, when it drew the attention of Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant and the entire country following a midnight crisis. Seven judicial officers, including women judges, were held hostage for over ten hours by an agitated mob protesting the deletion of their names from the electoral rolls.

All eyes are now on Mothabari after the unprecedented incident. But residents of this minority-dominated constituency have a different story to tell - one of lost votes, fading hopes, fear, apprehension, sufferings and deep grievances.

In villages surrounding the Block Development Office, which was gheraoed on Wednesday night by a mob, almost every household told ET that they had voted in the 2024 elections and earlier, and yet their names were deleted despite submitting documents during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearings. Around 60.6 lakh names across the state went for adjudication, which was carried out by 705 judicial officers in the state.


ET's ground visit revealed that in nearly every household, one or two members had their names retained after adjudication, while others have been deleted.

The villages are gripped by fear, with residents worried about losing their identity as citizens. Many see the EPIC card as their primary proof of citizenship and fear losing access to welfare schemes under the Trinamool Congress government. The visit of the NIA has further deepened anxiety among the villagers. Apprehensions run high among residents. "We don't want to vote, but we want our EPIC cards as identity proof. What will we do if tomorrow we are told our Aadhaar card is no longer valid?" asked an elderly woman from Amlitala.

Another villager, requesting anonymity, said, "We are not concerned about who becomes the chief minister here or which party wins the assembly elections. We are worried that tomorrow banks may refuse to accept our Aadhaar cards, saying we are not citizens."

Abeda Bibi, 75, said, "I have lived here for generations. I don't understand why my family members' names were marked under 'logical discrepancies'. We submitted all documents during the hearing, yet our names were removed during adjudication." The protests were triggered by the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, with villagers saying that names of so many people were deleted or sent for adjudication. Around 60.6 lakh were under adjudication in the entire state following the Supreme Court order, due to "logical discrepancies." The first phase of the West Bengal assembly polls is scheduled for April 23, when Malda will go to the polls.