Agartala: July 06. The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) today submitted a memorandum to the Chief Election Commissioner through the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Tripura, seeking modifications to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
In the memorandum, the party argued that Section 2(6B)(4) of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 exempts Sixth Schedule areas from its provisions. Accordingly, it demanded that the criteria for determining citizenship and ordinary residence during the SIR exercise in TTAADC should differ from those followed in non Sixth Schedule areas. The party proposed incorporating March 25, 1971 as the qualifying date for citizenship and ordinary residence in all SIR declaration forms applicable to TTAADC.
IPFT also urged the Election Commission of India to carry out stringent verification of electoral rolls to ensure that only genuine Indian citizens are included while illegal foreign nationals are excluded through documentary scrutiny. It suggested verification based on Permanent Residence Certificates, Scheduled Tribe certificates, family registers, government land or house allotment records, and extracts from the 1971 Assembly electoral roll or records of predecessors.
The memorandum alleged that illegal migrants had obtained official documents through fraudulent means and cited the 1993-94 intensive electoral roll revision, claiming that around 1.35 lakh illegal migrants were identified during the exercise. It further alleged that illegal infiltration from Bangladesh had altered Tripura’s demographic composition, led to encroachment on tribal lands and created an identity crisis for indigenous communities.
The party requested the Election Commission to amend the SIR enumeration forms and conduct a special verification drive in TTAADC areas before finalising the electoral rolls.
The memorandum was submitted by IPFT General Secretary Swapan Debbarma, Vice President Krishna Kanta Jamatia, Sindhu Chandra Jamatia, and other party leaders.
