Now Reading: West Bengal census linked to deleted voters, NRC fears
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West Bengal census linked to deleted voters, NRC fears
West Bengal's ongoing census, which began on August 16, has been shadowed by National Register of Citizens (NRC) fears after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari linked the exercise to electoral roll deletions. Adhikari said that of 27 lakh names removed from the rolls after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), only 7 lakh filed appeals, and the census data would help assess the status of those who did not claim voter status. Census authorities maintain the headcount has no connection to citizenship.
Civil society groups have raised concerns. Ranjit Sur of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) called the chief minister's remarks misleading, noting census data cannot legally be used for other purposes. The APDR will hold a workshop in Kolkata on August 25 to discuss implications. Meanwhile, West Bengal recorded the highest self-enumeration in India, with over 53.13 lakh households completing the online process, roughly one-quarter of the state's estimated two crore households.
The census questionnaire includes 40 questions, 14 new or modified from 2011, covering nationality, Aadhaar, voter ID, passport, and driving licence. Eight of these overlap with the National Population Register (NPR) schedule of 2020, which had sparked NRC fears after the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed. The government has not announced a nationwide NRC or a fresh NPR update alongside the census.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The overlap between census questions and the 2020 NPR schedule is the key flashpoint. The NPR was originally meant to feed into a potential nationwide NRC, a process that would require residents to prove citizenship. Bengal's SIR experience, where lakhs lost voter status and subsequent benefits like rations and university admissions, shows how enumeration data can have real-life consequences beyond a headcount. The high self-enumeration rate suggests many citizens are trying to secure a digital record of their presence. The next concrete event is the APDR workshop on August 25, which may trigger further political reactions.
Source: thefederal.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
