Deleted in SIR, four Bengal men now locked at Chhattisgarh detention centre for over a month
The family members of these four persons have now filed a petition at the Calcutta High Court, pleading to direct the Chhattisgarh State to release the detainees; the High Court asked the Chhattisgarh govt. ‘if the authorities were saying that some persons were not Indian citizens, then what would the appellate authority (tribunal) do?’
In India's Chhattisgarh state, four migrant workers from West Bengal's Murshidabad, who have been detained for over a month, now face an uncertain future. The men, Sabir Sheikh (42), Safikul Islam (39), Nasiruddin Sheikh (35), and Laltu Sheikh (28), were detained by Chhattisgarh Police after their names were deleted from the voters list during a special intensive revision (SIR) exercise.
Despite being long-time residents of India, the men were suspected of being Bangladeshi nationals. The police questioned their nationality based on the deletion of their names from the electoral rolls. The men, who have lived in India for generations, have documents proving their ownership of two houses in Samserganj. Their names were deleted following the SIR exercise, despite six other individuals claiming them as their fathers.
The family members of the four men have filed a petition at the Calcutta High Court, arguing that the authorities' actions are arbitrary, illegal, and unsustainable in law. The court has criticized the state's double standard, questioning the Election Commission's role in playing with the people's citizenship status.
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