Community alleges targeted discrimination as thousands of Muslim voters face adjudication before the West Bengal assembly elections
DARJEELING/NEW DELHI – A Muslim family in Darjeeling has accused authorities of blocking their daughter’s name from the voter list despite several attempts to register, raising fresh concerns among the local Muslim community about discrimination during the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
The case comes from Ward No. 19 of the Darjeeling Municipality, where members of the family of a resident identified as Munir say that five names from their household have been placed under adjudication during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.
The revision exercise is being carried out by the Election Commission ahead of the assembly elections.
Munir’s daughter, Tanisha Khatun, a 21-year-old third-year student at Darjeeling Government College, says she tried three times to get her name included, but each application was rejected.
“I tried three times to get my name included in the voter list, but it hasn’t happened yet. I am 21 years old and a third-year student. This time, too, my name did not appear. I think it is because I belong to the Muslim community,” Tanisha said.
According to the family, Tanisha first applied to register as a voter last year. Officials rejected her application because her father’s name had been entered incorrectly in government records.
After the mistake was corrected, she applied again. The second application was rejected because her name did not match the spelling on her Aadhaar card.
Tanisha then updated her Aadhaar details and submitted a third application.
Even after correcting both issues, her name still did not appear in the final list published after the revision process, the family said.
Munir said the repeated rejection has left the family shocked and upset.
“My daughter is a citizen of this country and she is eligible to vote. Still, her name is not being included,” he said.
Munir alleged that the situation is part of a wider attempt to reduce Muslim voters in the area.
“The BJP people do not want any Muslim Indian to become a voter. Only about 12,000 Muslims are living in Darjeeling and around 60 per cent are under adjudication,” he said.
“We are voters of the former MP of Darjeeling Hills. The BJP wants to delete our names so that we do not vote for our leader. But this will not be possible. We will fight till the end,” he added.
Members of the local Muslim community say the issue has caused deep concern because their population in the hills is small.
They say that when a large number of names from such a small community are questioned or placed under review, it creates fear among residents that their voting rights could be taken away.
Darjeeling Hills has an estimated Muslim population of around 12,000 people.
Locals claim that nearly 60 per cent of Muslim names in the region have either been removed or placed under adjudication during the current voter list revision.
Community members say many families now feel that their citizenship and rights are being questioned despite living in the area for generations.
Some residents said the situation has created a feeling of isolation.
One resident said, “We are born here and we have lived here for years. When our names are suddenly questioned, it makes us feel like outsiders in our own place.”
Earlier reports from Darjeeling also mentioned that around 30 Muslims received notices asking them to verify their citizenship.
The notices reportedly came after complaints from a resident who questioned their status as Indian citizens.
Members of the community say such incidents increase fear and uncertainty.
“For a small community like ours, these actions create panic. People worry that their names may disappear from the voter list without any clear reason,” another resident said.
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is a large-scale exercise carried out by the Election Commission to verify voter records and remove ineligible entries.
According to official figures, more than 61 lakh names have been deleted across West Bengal during the revision process.
Another 60 lakh names have been placed under adjudication and are being reviewed.
Many of these cases are still pending verification or legal review.
In several districts with large Muslim populations, the number of cases under adjudication is particularly high.
For example, Murshidabad district has around 11 lakh such cases, while Malda district has around 8 lakh.
Muslims make up about 66 per cent of the population in Murshidabad and about 51 per cent in Malda.
The revision process has also become a major political issue in the state.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has criticised the exercise, saying it could lead to the removal of genuine voters from the rolls.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, has defended the process, saying that the verification is necessary to remove illegal or duplicate names.
For many Muslim families, the debate has direct consequences.
People say the process must be carried out carefully so that genuine citizens are not removed from the voter list.
Community members say they are not against verification but want authorities to treat everyone equally.
“We only want fairness,” a community elder said. “If there is a mistake, correct it. But do not punish people because of their identity.”
Families like Munir’s say they will continue to approach officials until the issue is resolved.
“My daughter has the right to vote like any other citizen,” Munir said. “We will keep raising our voice until her name is included.”
With the assembly elections approaching, residents say the authorities must ensure that every eligible citizen is allowed to vote.
For Tanisha Khatun, the issue is not just about paperwork.
“It is my right as a citizen,” she said. “I only want my name to be on the voter list like everyone else.”
