Gujarat: Names Of 700 Muslim Fishermen Deleted From Voters’ Lists

In a recent development concerning the Lok Sabha elections, around 700 fishermen from Gandhvi and Navadra villages in Devbhumi Dwarka have been struck off the voter rolls by the Election Commission. The
fishermen, predominantly Muslim, were displaced from their homes last year due to the demolition drive initiated by the state administration for port expansion projects in the region, as reported by Indian
Express and Maktoob Media.

Previously active participants in the electoral process, these individuals consistently exercised their voting rights in both assembly and Lok Sabha elections. However, their names have been deleted from the latest electoral rolls without any provision for relocation or transfer to alternate voting locations within Gujarat.

The administration demolished the homes of Muslim fishermen in Navadra village of this taluka for port expansion, displacing the residents. These individuals were voters in Dwarka Assembly Constituency No. 249 and had voted there in many previous elections. The votes of approximately 225 Muslim fishermen in Navadra have been deleted from this year’s voter list and have not been transferred to any other location in the state.

According to these fishermen, they have been forcibly driven away by the administration. The demolitions were carried out on the grounds of “illegal construction on government land” by the Muslim fishermen community.

Despite pending petitions for reinstatement and resettlement in the Gujarat High Court, their voices remain unheard. However, before the demolitions began, the residents received a notice informing them of the impending action but were given little to no time to vacate or collect their belongings. The matter was also listed for hearing in the High Court.

One such victim, Jakub Moosa Pateliya, a 47-year-old fisherman from Navadra, now resides 40 km away from his former abode in Mul Dwarka. Having voted for over a decade, he was disheartened to find his name
deleted from the voter list upon returning. He said, “I have voted here for 13 years, and other members have voted too, but this time, they have deleted our names from the rolls,” said Moosa.

Before the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls, no member of Pateliya’s extended family received a voter slip, depriving them of vital information regarding polling locations and timings. Issued by the Election Commission of India to registered voters before an election, these slips serve as a confirmation and provide details on where and when to cast their vote.

Despite encountering hurdles, such as his name being struck off the voter list, Jakub Moosa Pateliya’s determination to exercise his democratic right remained steadfast. Disheartened by the absence of his family’s names on the Election Commission’s website, Pateliya sought assistance from the local Booth Level Officer (BLO), who happened to be a school teacher in Kalyanpur Taluka.

However, his efforts were met with disappointment as the BLO cited residency requirements, asserting that since Pateliya no longer resided in the village, he was ineligible to vote there. Pateliya’s frustration deepened because “The teacher also said that he would not have let us vote even if our names were there on the voter’s list and asked me to approach higher authorities”, he added.

He lamented the strategic displacement of predominantly Muslim communities from areas like Harshad, Navadra, Bhogat, and Gandhivi Dwarka, viewing it as a deliberate targeting tactic. This selective
displacement, according to Pateliya, not only robbed them of their homes but also stripped away their voting rights.

Of Gujarat’s overall population, 9.7 per cent of the population is Muslim, almost 6.3 million people. Despite this significant demographic presence, the conditions of Muslims have only worsened post-2002 Gujarat Muslim Genocide. As per political analysts, the Muslim population of not only the working class but the middle class are systematically being sidelined.

After the widespread loss of lives and properties in 2002, the alienation has spiralled into strategic displacement, loss of livelihood and destruction. Pateliya said “Only smaller regions with a larger population of Muslims were asked to vacate the area, now that we have left, our right to vote has also been snatched. If we ask the BLO there, they ask us to bring the documents to prove that we are residents of that area. When we come here, we are told that we are no longer residents since we don’t live here”.

Another fisherman, Gafoor Dawood Pateliya, 44, from Gandhivi village in Devbhumi Dwarka district, returning home to inquire about his voting status, faces the risk of arrest or harassment by authorities. Like his fellow fisherman Moosa, Pateliya undertook a 120 km journey from Manglur to Gandhivi, only to be confronted by police threats and intimidation.

Speaking to Maktoob, Dawood said, “We were informed by a friend that our voter slip had arrived at the government school in Gandhivi, and I should collect it so that I could vote. Upon reaching the region, the police asked me to return, or else they would arrest me.”

“I checked the list online to determine whether our names were there; our names were not on the list,” said Dawood. My relative saw three slips of my family in the Sarkari school number 50, which was usually our polling booth when we used to vote.” “This has never happened in a Lok Sabha or a Vidhan Sabha election before,” he added. My family has 14 voters, but only 12 have voted so far.” “I revisited the Gandhivi to get my voter slip, but this time, the policeman told me that if I wanted my voter slip, I would have to go to jail,” said the displaced Muslim fisherman.

Dawood wanted to register his two sons’ names in the voter’s list as one turned 18 this year, and the other would have been voting for the first time after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Still, he couldn’t do so because all their documents were under the demolished rubble of their earlier settlement.

To get these documents or to make one, the family will have to go through police and other administrative officers, who will tell them that they don’t belong to Gandhivi because they don’t have a home there. Dawood said, and I quote, “To make the documents at the new address, we need the earlier documents, which are just impossible to get. We don’t have proof of residence, and now they are not letting us vote.”

Sakina Banu, Moosa’s 26-year-old daughter-in-law, shared her family’s long-standing allegiance to the BJP, explaining that they had consistently voted for the party due to its dominance in the state and district. Despite demolishing their homes, Banu highlighted their continued support for the BJP, emphasizing the lack of viable alternatives.

When questioned about her voting intentions if provided with a voter’s slip, Banu reiterated her preference for the BJP, citing the need for proof of residence to safeguard their land ownership rights. However, she expressed frustration over the elusive voter’s slip. She also pointed out that in Harshad, houses of Hindu families and temples are still standing as it is and said, “They did this only to Muslims. They want to drive us out of the country systematically.”

Prafful, a government school teacher in Navadra, refuted accusations of deliberately withholding voting slips from Muslim fisherman families. He clarified that his responsibility was to distribute voting slips in his school’s jurisdiction, and he had diligently distributed all allocated slips.

Addressing concerns about missing households, Prafful explained that most Muslim residents were displaced after the port demolition, making it challenging to locate them. He stated that he returned undelivered slips to the collector’s office and advised residents to collect them there.

However, Prafful struggled to justify why he expected displaced families to be present at their former settlement sites despite knowing about the demolitions. He maintained that accusations of manipulation were unfounded, as changes to voter lists were beyond his authority.

Furthermore, Prafful denied claims that he prevented residents from voting, emphasizing his commitment to his duties as a teacher. He questioned the logic behind avoiding voting, asserting he had no personal stake in residents’ voting decisions.

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JD Patel, Deputy Election Officer of Devbhumi Dwarka, defended the deletion of approximately 700 names from the voter’s lists of Gandhvi and Navadra villages, stating that it was conducted after following
due process. Patel explained that notices were served individually to the voters, followed by a public notice at the village panchayat, inviting objections.

However, no objections were raised, leading to the deletion of names based on reports from village officials confirming residents’ absence. Patel noted that the names of individuals found in the villages during
roll revision were retained. He mentioned that draft electoral rolls were published, and no objections were raised to the deletions. Patel also stated that displaced fishermen could register at their new locations post-demolition.

On 3rd May, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer, highlighting the deletion of over 500 Muslim names and demanding their right to vote under exceptional circumstances.

Mujahid Nafees, an Ahmedabad-based rights activist associated with MCC, emphasized that these individuals, deliberately displaced by the administration, shouldn’t be denied their voting rights, especially
since their reinstatement petition is pending in the High Court. Nafees criticized the administration for not registering displaced people’s votes elsewhere in the state despite the Election Commission’s emphasis on voter registration.