Matuas Fear Deportation Amid Bengal SIR

The Matua community, originally from present-day Bangladesh, has migrated to India over the years to escape persecution and seek a better life.

They are a significant Dalit community in Bengal.

Currently, they are worried about the ongoing SIR (Special Intensive Revision) exercise, which aims to clean up voter lists.

Many Matuas fear that if their names are not on the new voter list, they might lose their voting rights and even face deportation.

The draft voter list shows thousands of non-mapped names in Matua-dominated regions.

Those affected will have to attend a hearing and provide certain documents to prove their eligibility to vote.

The SIR exercise has led to the deletion of 6.56 crore voter names across India, with significant deletions in states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Bengal.

This has raised concerns about the impact on electoral math and the potential exclusion of legitimate voters.