Despite EC notice, domicile certs continue to baffle voters
Times of India | 10 February 2026
Kolkata: The domicile certificate issue continues to baffle voters despite the EC making it clear that it will accept only those documents issued to non-Bengali residents applying for defence and CAPF jobs. The reason: officers at the SIR hearings are still asking for domicile certificates.
Two sisters from the Missionaries of Charity on Monday queued up at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters to submit papers for domicile certificates for two senior nuns. Three senior nuns had been called for a hearing at an office in the BBD Bag area. All three attended the camp and submitted necessary documents more than a month ago, but they were asked to produce domicile certificates as proof of citizenship.
However, the eldest of the three — an octogenarian — passed away before the other nuns could submit her documents to obtain a domicile certificate. "We deeply mourn the death of one of the tireless workers of our institution. The agony of proving her citizenship in such a manner might have cost her life. Now we have no option but to obtain domicile certificates for the other two senior nuns," said a nun of Missionaries of Charity, standing in the queue.
TOI spoke to Mangala Nath, a homemaker from Ultadanga, who was rearranging four sets of documents she had been asked to submit by civic officials at the counter. "I was called for an SIR hearing. The EC officials were not satisfied with the documents I submitted at the hearing and asked me to submit a domicile certificate. I hope the KMC will help me obtain the certificate," said Nath.
Sudhir Pandey from Karaya was also seen standing in the queue with relevant papers. "I will submit all documents here to obtain a domicile certificate. But I don't know what will happen after that," said Pandey.
According to a KMC official at the counter, the demand for domicile certificates remains high. "Every day, citizens queue up at the counter and submit documents to obtain domicile certificates. We are sending them to the collector's office. In turn, the collector's office is sending them to cops for verification," said the official.
A 47-year-old woman of Beadon Row has only an Aadhaar card and a PAN card. The BLO asked her to apply for a domicile certificate. Debasree Ray De Sarkar, a BLO in Shyampukur, said, "There are some voters in my area who failed to show any document other than an Aadhaar card and a PAN card. I asked them to apply for a domicile certificate."
(Inputs from Poulami Roy Banerjee & Dwaipayan Ghosh)