By IANS
Kendrapada (Orissa) : Orissa has deleted the names of at least 4,000 people living in the state from the voters’ list as they are suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, officials said Friday.
The district administration here has deleted the names of those suspected to be illegal immigrants living in seaside villages in the coastal district of Kendrapada, about 150 km from state capital Bhubaneswar.
“The district administration had recently entrusted school teachers and other government officials of the district with the responsibility of adding the names of Indian citizens in the voters’ list and deleting the names of foreign nationals.
“During the survey the officials found the names of at least 4,000 suspected Bangladeshis in the list which have now been deleted,” district collector Kashinath Sahoo told IANS.
Two years ago the state government had issued notices to 1,551 people who were suspected of being Bangladeshi nationals.
Only 124 out of 1,551 filed documents like voter identification cards, ration cards, refugee registration papers, and other relevant documents to prove their claimed Indian citizenship.