Amid concerns over ongoing SIR in West Bengal, some Matuas go on fast, others seek citizenship under CAA

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit Thakurnagar, the spiritual center of the Matua community in Bongaon subdivision of North 24 Parganas district bordering Bangladesh, on Tuesday and undertake a 3-km sightseeing tour before addressing a public meeting.

This will be Ms. Banerjee’s second time taking to the streets against the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls in the state since its implementation on November 4.

The Prime Minister’s visit is significant as the community of Hindu Namasudras, whose roots are in Bangladesh, are among the groups of people concerned about SIR in the state. Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is trying to reach out to the minority community that voted for the BJP in the last two Lok Sabha polls. TMC recently gained ground in the region by defeating the BJP in the 2024 elections.

Since November 5, a section of the Matua community led by TMC Rajya Sabha member Mamata Bala Thakur has been holding a hunger strike in Thakurnagar. According to Ms. Mamata Bala, community members are concerned as the election commission is using the 2002 voter list as the basis for the SIR.

‘We are dying of fear’

“Most of us have all the documents, but our names are not in the 2002 voter list. We are dying of fear. Most of us came from Bangladesh during a troubled time, we had nothing but the clothes we were wearing,” he said. Hindu.

The TMC MP also asked how people without families will submit their parents’ documents to prove their citizenship. SIR forced several people from the community to apply for citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).

Near the protest site, BJP MP from Bongaon and Union Minister Santanu Thakur set up a camp for Matuas to apply for citizenship under the CAA. Mr. Santanu and Ms. Mamata Bala come from the family of Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur, who founded the Matua sect in Orakandi in present-day Bangladesh in the late 19th century.

The Matuas began migrating from Bangladesh in 1947 and continued to come to India before and after the war in 1971 that liberated what was then East Pakistan from West Pakistan. In West Bengal, the community has a significant presence in border districts such as North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Howrah, Cooch Behar and Malda and is the second largest Scheduled Caste community in the State.

The CAA, passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019, provides citizenship to undocumented immigrants belonging to six non-Muslim communities – Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian – who entered India on or before December 31, 2014 from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The CAA Rules were announced on March 11, 2024, to coincide with the birth anniversary of Matua’s founder. sect.

The rules specify various documents that need to be uploaded on an online portal (indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/) to process the application.

Along with an affidavit declaring the country of origin and date of entry into India, a fitness certificate issued by a locally recognized community body certifying that the person adheres to one of the six faiths is mandatory.

“We will appeal to the Electoral Commission to ensure that names not included in the 2002 voter list are excluded from the new voter rolls,” Mr. Santanu said, assuring members of his section of the community that their voting rights would not be usurped by the SIR.

‘Taking advantage of the opportunity’

In the camp set up by Mr Santanu, people pay ₹800 to register themselves with the CAA, leading to accusations from the ruling party that the BJP is “cashing in on the plight of the Matuas”.

However, those who run the camp defended the fee. “There are lawyers here who help prepare returns for ₹ 300. We charge ₹ 250 for filling the online form. The cost of applying online is ₹ 50. We also provide a Hindu certificate for ₹ 100 and a Matua card for ₹ 100, since the CAA is a provision for non-Muslim immigrants,” said a data entry operator at the camp.

The data entry operator said that the mandatory documents for online application include proof of address in Bangladesh and Bangladeshi identity document, while photostat copy of Aadhaar card is required for Hindu certificate and Matua card.

Gouranga Biswas, 33, who supports the hunger strike, expressed skepticism. “How can we trust this process, which started with the Matuas first declaring themselves as Bangladeshi citizens?”

“My ancestors migrated in the 1970s and my family’s names are in the 2002 voter list. But we don’t know what might happen during the SIR, so we thought of getting Hindu certificates and Matua cards,” said 47-year-old Krishnapada Das, who was waiting in the queue at the camp to register for CAA.

It was published – 25 November 2025 01:14 IST