APW to file charges against ECI on electoral rolls revision

Guwahati, Aug 22 (UNI) The Election Commission of India (ECI) could be in the dock over the clearance of doubtful voters (D voters) names from electoral rolls in Assam.

Assam Public Works (APW), a non-government organisation, today informed that it would move the court with evidence of serious lapses on part of the ECI officials while updating voters' list in the state.

When the list of D voters was revised in 1994 for over one lakh names, the D listed voters could get their names cleared by producing even medical stores receipt, Abhijit Sharma, APW director, said.

He informed that the organisation has collected data on about 700 people who had got their names cleared from the original D voters list in 1994 but were actually suspect Bangladeshi nationals. Moreover, the APW has also collected about 300 names of such people whose name appears in more than one voter list, within or outside the state.

Mr Sharma said the APW would file a case against the ECI by next month with all these facts and ask for the revision of 1991 voters' list by an independent committee.

He maintained that the officials responsible for the process were unable to produce any circular or clear-cut instructions for striking off a person's name from the D voters' category.

The APW advocated an urgent extradition treaty with Bangladesh, with Mr Sharma pointing out that in absence of such an agreement, India would have no place to send the identified Bangladeshis. ''If Bangladesh government refuses to cooperate, the United Nations help should be sought,'' he added.

The APW director stressed that the problem of migration was assuming serious proportions, with the issue not concerned only with Bangladeshis anymore.

He claimed that immigrant Nepalese population was gaining domination in some districts, Myanmarese and Christian missionaries in hills districts.

Mr Sharma also criticised minority groups, including the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF), for allegedly favouring the Bangladeshis cause by raising a hue and cry about harassment of genuine citizens whenever the process of detection of foreigners gains momentum.

He underlined the danger of emergence of more armed rebellions by indigenous youth if the Bangladeshi issue was not solved at the earliest.

UNI SG KK SW MIR KP1936