Van Gujjars fight for voting rights
The Van Gujjars, a nomadic community living in the adjoining Shivalik forests, are up in arms protesting against anomalies over furnishing age-proof to get voter identity cards.
The Van Gujjars, a nomadic community living in the adjoining Shivalik forests, are up in arms protesting against anomalies over furnishing age-proof to get voter identity cards. For example, Bashir Kassana 45 living in Mohand has been given a voter identity card whereas his father Kalu Nambardar 80 has been told to prove that he is a major!
Residing in the Shivalik ranges that fall in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, the members of the nomadic community on Thursday staged a dharna in front of the office of the Saharanpur District Magistrate, who is also the District Electoral Officer, demanding the inclusion of their names in the voter list and issuance of identity cards to exercise their voting rights.
Work on the revision of electoral rolls has been going on in Uttar Pradesh in view of the coming Assembly elections.
The Van Gujjars said their names were missing from the latest voter list released by the Saharanpur district administration despite the fact that they had submitted necessary Form-6 at different polling booths. They have been asked by the officials concerned to submit their age certificates knowing very well that they are not registered at the time of death and birth.
Members of the community on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate making an appeal for securing their constitutional right. The protest dharna outside the DM’s office was organised by SOPHIA, a Dehradun-based NGO working for the welfare of the Van Gujjars.
Pramod Prajapati, coordinator of SOPHIA, told media persons that the bureaucratic apathy was the main reason for the marginalisation of this minority community. “All political parties are eyeing votes of minorities, but no one is paying any attention to these exploited people,” he said.
The Van Gujjars have reportedly followed established process for inclusion of their names in voter list, but the officials concerned just pass the buck to revenue staff and teachers, Prajapati alleged.
“These people do not go to the forests for necessary enumeration and fulfil formality with politically powerful people in the nearby villages,” he said.
Praveen Kaushal of SOPHIA said there were many examples where the son had become a voter and his father was being harassed for an age certificate.
Meanwhile, the Saharanpur district administration has asked the Van Gujjars to fill up fresh forms. “Additional District Magistrate of Saharanpur Randhir assured us that 400 new forms would be filled and nobody would be denied voter identity cards,” Kaushal said.
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