Uncertainty over voter registration of enclave people in 3 N districts
Uncertainty prevailed over registration of voters in 63 out of 65 Bangladeshi enclaves in three northern districts as the Indian authorities are yet to respond to the Election Commission's (EC) request seeking permission to visit the enclaves through Indian territory, official sources said.
Rangpur Regional Election Office deputy election commissioner Hamidul Alam said to The Daily Star the EC sought transit permission from the Indian government to go to our enclaves through Indian territory but they are yet to respond to the request. He further said the EC is still continuing its effort in this regard.
However, voter registration in two enclaves named Dahagram and Angorpota is likely to start from the last week of February as the two enclaves are connected with the main land of the country through Teen Bighha corridor.
The deputy commissioner (DC) of Lalmonirhat, Rafiqul Islam said to this correspondent voter registration will start in the two enclaves on February 22. He also said he did not receive any EC directive to start work on voter registration in the enclaves of his own district.
During launching of the countrywide voter registration campaign with photograph, the EC expressed its firm determination to enlist the residents of the enclaves as voters.
At that time, a statement of election commissioners Brigadier General (Retd) Shakhawat Hossain was published in all the electronic and print media with due importance. He said the inhabitants of the enclaves have the right to be included as voters in the voter list. He also said effective measures will be taken to make the eligible enclave people as voters of the country.
Of the 63 enclaves, 18 are situated in Kurigram district, 33 are in Lalmonirhat and 12 are in Panchagarh district. The enclaves of Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts are surrounded by Kunchbihar district in West Bengal, India while those of Panchagarh district are encircled by Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal, India.
Actual population of these enclaves is yet to be ascertained officially although an abortive bid to make census in the enclaves was launched in 2001. But, unofficial sources said the population of 63 enclaves might be around 1.5 lakh.
The densely populated enclaves of Panchagarh district are Balapara, Khagrabari, Dahala Khagrabari, Kot Vagini and Behula Danga. The enclaves of Lalmonirhat district are Batrigachh, Kisamat Batrigachh, Falnapur and Nalgram. In Kurigram district, most populated enclaves are Uttar Bansjani, Chhit Kachua, Moshaldanga Chhit Tirai, Poatur Kuti, Paschim Baklir Chhara, Chhit Karola, Shib Prasad Mostafi etc.
Bangladeshi citizens living in the enclaves seldom get any chance to be enrolled as voters not to speak of exercising their right to franchise since independence of the country.
In 1983, voter enumerators and supervisors under the guidence of an assistant registration officer enrolled voters in only 12 encalves of Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts. But they could not exercise their right to franchise.
In 1990, about 40,000 voters were enrolled in 33 enclaves of Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Panchagarh districts. For the first time in the history of Bangladesh these voters got opportunity to cast votes in the 5th National Assembly elections in 1991.
In 1995 and 1999, India did not respond to the request of Bangladesh for cooperation in enumeration work of the enclave voters.
In 2000, only a few people of one or two enclaves became voters but they could not exercise their right to franchise.
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