Born and married in Bangladesh, Manju Banik later moved to West Bengal with her husband. Now 50, she runs her household from a rented shop in Haldia and has officially received Indian citizenship. Yet, she remains anxious about her son's future, as her name does not appear on the 2002 voter list.
According to local sources, Manju married in Cumilla, Bangladesh, in 1986. The following year, she made a passport and travelled to India with her husband on a 10-day visa, staying at a relative’s home in Durgachak, Haldia, then part of undivided Medinipur. She returned to Bangladesh briefly before coming back to Haldia with her husband, Tapan Kumar.
Tapan initially took up a job at a shop, and soon the couple decided to settle in India permanently. In 2001, they were granted citizenship certificates by the central government. Tapan passed away last August.
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Manju has been worried since the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) started in the state recently. She says, "My son was born at Haldia Sub-divisional Hospital. Though his name is on the 2025 voter list, mine and my husband's names are not on the 2002 list. The BLO (Booth Level Officer) came and left forms. I don't understand what to do".
All of Manju's relatives are in Bangladesh. She last went there in 2007. She made a passport, took a visa and came back after meeting her mother.
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According to Manju, "I got Indian citizenship in 2001. I have a voter card, an Aadhaar card and a passport. But our names are not on the 2002 voter list. I don't have any land in my own name either. However, my son was born in Haldia and studied here. I have all those documents".
Administrative officials say there should be no difficulty in getting names included in the voter list if one has a valid passport.
