WB: Beside minority community NRC also jitters Hindus of Maldah

Maldah, Sep 20: The NRC in Assam has put huge impact on West Bengal. Recently, it has spread mostly in the parts of north Bengal districts- Alipurduar to Malda, around the 430km from the interstate border.

After the Bengal BJP chief announced that NRC would be implemented in Bengal if the party came to power in the state, the people from the different sphere are gripped by worries. They are rushing to collect proper documents which can help them prove their citizenship.

Reportedly, Malda shares nearly 170 kilometer long border with Bangladesh in six out of its 15 blocks. The BJP has a presence in four such blocks and two MLAs.

The BJP however, continues to be vocal on NRC. The district BJP president Gobinda Mandal said, "Our stand is clear. The infiltrators must leave the country and the valid citizens have nothing to worry", as reported by The Telegraph.

The residents are so scared and the officials are making every effort to make them understand the ongoing process of applying or amending the ration cards or the verification of voters' particulars has nothing to do with NRC. A view of serpentine queues of panic-stricken people can be observed at block development offices.

While good numbers of gloomy faced residents are waiting to get them enrolled for ration cards or to correct their particulars, other thousands are knocking doors of administrative offices to get a copy of the electors' list prior to March 24, 1971.

Residents, who have been neglecting tiny mistakes on documents like voter and Aadhar cards, are rushing to get those corrected by obtaining affidavits from first-class magistrates.

Many are approaching to obtain a copy of their school leaving certificates as proof of their dates of birth.

Although the worry has largely hit the minority population that surpasses the Hindus in six out of 12 assembly constituencies of Malda, the Hindus are also equally deep in anxiety.