Lengthy rows of women and men type beneath the paper in entrance of the six tables beneath the tarpaulin sheet. As soon as they attain the desk, they hand over their type to greater than 20 volunteers, ask questions, test and submit the paper, and provides the applicant a receipt.
Thakurnagar, the guts of Matua, positioned about 90 km from Kolkata, has been sick of its latest occasions. Nevertheless, the queues beneath these tents are solely lengthened as alarms because the Election Fee’s Particular Intensive Revision (SIR) train reaches this nook of Bengal, close to the Bangladesh border, as there aren’t any followers to alleviate warmth or humidity.
Within the camp run by Matua Mahasan of All India, candidates are in search of a “Matua Card” or “Hindu Card/Certificates” as step one to making sure citizenship beneath the Citizenship (Modification) Act.
Candidates should pay Rs 80 per card. The “Hindu Certificates” is issued by Hindu organizations, however Mahasan points “Matua” playing cards to “believers,” says Mahasang chief and BJP Geigata MLA Subrata Thakur.
The CAA, which facilitates the citizenship of non-Muslim refugees from neighboring international locations in India, already covers Mature, a Bengali Hindu from Bangladesh. Nevertheless, Kamal Chandra Mondor (67), who got here to India from Khulna, Bangladesh together with his father in 1970 and already has a matua card, says he does not need to take the possibility.
Alongside the paper at Thakurnagar Camp, Mondol acknowledged:
The Thakurnagar camp at North 24 Parganas points certificates for Matuans and Hindus. Thakurnagar is the headquarters of the Matuans. (Categorical photograph by Palsapol)
The paper that Mondor holds is a doc his father introduced in when he entered India 55 years in the past as a refugee. He says that he lastly settled in Bengal earlier than his household lived in camps in Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. All through it stored the paper in hand. This may very well be a distinction between whether or not the Mondru household can vote within the 2026 parliamentary vote.
Mondol, who lives within the chakra at North 24 Parganas together with his spouse and two youngsters and travels 33km to the Thakurnagar camp, admits that he was not eager to use first when the CAA got here into impact. Many Matua like him have already got official paperwork akin to votes and distribution playing cards, however I felt that registering with the CAA would mark them as “non-citizen.”
However now it isn’t a matter of alternative, says Mondol. “CAA is important. The trainer is right here. I do not need to lose the vote correctly or land in bother.”
Sadhan Chandra Sarkar, 62, got here to camp from Rajarhat-Newtown, Kolkata. He initially belonged to Khulna, however he got here to India in 2009. “I haven’t got an acceptable Indian citizenship doc. At the moment, with the CAA (cutoff date is December 2014), I need to acquire correct Indian citizenship.
21-year-old Chitra Kiltania, right here 40km away, from Balasat, “My brother has a matua card, however he wants his father’s card. After making his father’s card, I will have him make my mom and mine. I will get Indian citizenship.”
Bithika Kirtania (age 35), resident of Baduria, despair: “As soon as we have been exiled from Bangladesh. If we have been kicked out of right here, the place would we go? My husband is a Kerala migrant employee.
Subrata Thakur admits that the Concern Irs are behind the push at camp. “Our group members are unfold throughout India, not simply Bangladesh. We’ll give our followers a Matua card as identification. Now we’ve Hindu playing cards given us, proving that they’re Hindu.”
Subsequent, the BJP MLA says they’ll arrange a camp the place attorneys will settle for affidavits from these included beneath the CAA. “It is true that at first, many individuals have by no means expressed curiosity within the CAA. However folks do not need to lose their voting rights. So, seeing so many individuals like this pour over the previous seven days, there’s greater than 16,000 folks coming,” Thakur added that he is unsure of the figures that took citizenship beneath the CAA within the guidelines in March 2024.
Camp volunteers will deal rapidly from 7am to 9pm and retailer info in digital format.
The Thakurnagar camp at North 24 Parganas points certificates for Matuans and Hindus. Thakurnagar is the headquarters of the Matuans. (Categorical photograph by Palsapol)
“We have been working laborious to get into the world,” mentioned Samir Biswas, 28, one of many volunteers. “People will fill within the type and supply two copies of the photograph. Please use Aadhaar card or different paperwork from the Authorities of India.
22-year-old Setu Roy additionally volunteers at camp and travels each day from Bahura, 10km away. Faculty pupil Sourav Sarkar, 21, says he’ll obtain Rs 5 for each type that helps them fill. “That is our reward.”
EC’s Third Drive performed polls by anti-BJP events, together with Trinamool Congress and Prime Minister Mamatabanerjee. That is referred to as a tactic to “steal the vote.” Sarkar’s workplace in Shantipur is residence to a few volunteers to assist folks submit CAA functions on-line.
Matuas as soon as labored as a farmer in jap Bangladesh and started shifting to West Bengal after 1950. After 20 years of immigration, it shaped the state’s second largest SC inhabitants, with principally concentrated in 24 Pargana and Nadia to the north and south, adjoining to districts akin to Haura, Kuchbear, North Dynajpur, Malda and the south Dynajpur and South Dynajpur.
The state authorities estimates that Matuas varieties round 17% of the full voting banks within the state, and has presence in 30 seats. The MATUA group’s personal estimate is about 20% of voting banks, which straight impacts 40-45 seats.
