Kolkata, Nov. 15 -- Former union Minister and senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the Centre to intervene immediately to protect the voting rights and legal status of West Bengal's Matua community.
In a detailed letter, Chowdhury flagged what he described as the "pathetic plight" of the Matuas during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, warning that lakhs risk being disenfranchised due to documentary requirements they are unable to meet.
Chowdhury said the Matuas who migrated from erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, during Partition and again during the 1971 war due to "ruthless and relentless persecution" are facing an "impossible task" of pro...