AASU demands error-free voter list revision, flags notices to indigenous muslims

Guwahati, Jan 28: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam, demanding error-free special revision (SR) of the State’s voters’ list while asserting that indigenous Muslims should not face any difficulty during the process.

The students’ body reiterated its long-standing demand that names of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants be deleted from the electoral rolls, stating that Assam continues to bear the burden of illegal infiltration. AASU president Utpal Sarma and general secretary Samiran Phukan said that since the Assam Movement, the issue of illegal migrants finding their way into the voters’ list has remained a serious concern.

They alleged that in several constituencies, electoral outcomes were being influenced by the votes of suspected illegal Bangladeshis, making a special revision of the electoral rolls imperative. The organization said all stringent legal measures must be adopted to ensure deletion of such names from the voters’ list.

However, AASU expressed concern over reports that during the ongoing special revision process, notices had been served to indigenous people in various areas. In several districts, a considerable number of indigenous Muslim families have reportedly received such notices, triggering dissatisfaction and fear of disenfranchisement.

Urging the Election Commission to act with greater sensitivity and responsibility, AASU demanded that cases involving indigenous Muslims be resolved on a priority basis so that no genuine citizen is harassed or deprived of voting rights.