Standing in front of the ‘Tero Family’ or 13 Family slum, located directly opposite the entrance to the posh Dhamsha Tribal Resort and Eco Park Golf Course in New Town, Kolkata, Babu Mollah, 32, looked desolate.
A scrap dealer and resident of the slum, Mollah, has not gone to work for the last two–three days. If he works the entire day, he can earn about Rs 300–350. The loss is considerable. Yet, Mollah is choosing to stay home to shoo away ‘Godi media’ that have been entering the slum, and creating a ruckus by labelling them as “Bangladeshis”.
“They are calling anyone and everyone Bangladeshi and shooting videos. The day they came, all of us from the slum had gone to work. Our houses were locked. They said these houses belong to Bangladeshis who have fled after hearing about SIR.”
Babu Mollah
The slum dwellers claim to know why they are being targeted as “Bangladeshi.” “It’s just because we are poor and Muslim,” he said, adding that his family has lived in these slums for generations.
Similar tales have sprung up from several ares of Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal, especially ones with a high Muslim population, since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) began in West Bengal about two weeks ago.
Government-appointed Booth Level Officer (BLOs) and political-party-appointed BLAs have been going door-to-door, distributing SIR forms. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal office, has clearly stated in writing and through video messages that neither BLOs nor BLAs have any authority to inspect any documents of voters.
But despite that, confusion has erupted in areas like New Town, adjacent to Kolkata city. Amid confusion about rules, sections of the media have been adding dangerous communal fuel to the fire, leaving many like Mollah concerned about their citizenship in the days to come.
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.