‘What to do now?’: Citizenship cert after SIR hearing leaves E Burdwan BJP worker baffled
Times of India | 12 January 2026
Purbasthali (East Burdwan): Apprehending trouble in course of the SIR of voter rolls, 39-year-old Sabuj Das, a carpenter from Burdwan whose family had migrated from Bangladesh 26 years ago, applied for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) four months ago. He received his citizenship certificate on Friday, nine days after he was done with his SIR hearing on Dec 31.
The timing has left Das uncertain about whether he must now submit the citizenship document to election officials or apply afresh as a voter, as the outcome of his hearing remains unknown.
Despite the confusion, Das and his family have turned into a rallying point for local BJP workers who are saying that even if someone's name is struck off from the voter rolls during SIR, they will be able to get their names added with a citizenship certificate. Das, also the youth convener of BJP Purbasthali North assembly constituency and a member of Kalikatala gram panchayat, said, "I don't know if we will be called for a second hearing. We are waiting to see if our names are in the final voter list."
Das said his and his father's names were not on the 2002 SIR list and that he had managed to get his name on the voter list using his mother's documents.
He added that he was worried when SIR was announced in Bengal. "Around four months ago, my mother, brother and I applied for citizenship under CAA. Last Friday, we were called to the post office where our citizenship certificates were handed over," he said.
A citizenship certificate is one of the documents EC has listed as acceptable for inclusion in voter rolls.
Biplob Biswas, the BLO of area where Das resides, told TOI that Das was called to an SIR hearing because his name was not on the 2002 list. "We cannot disclose what documents were produced during the hearing," he said.