Panic Grips Bengal as Aadhaar Cards Deactivated: Mamata Banerjee Raises Concerns

After receiving letters from UIDAI telling them that their Aadhaar number had been deleted and that their prerequisites to remain in the country had not been met, panic broke out among a number of individuals in Bengal.

The Aadhaar card is a required document for all Indian citizens, and it is issued and deactivated by the UIDAI, or Unique Identification Authority of India.


During her budget statement on Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she had received concerns about Aadhaar deactivation.

"In order to prevent these individuals from casting ballots, they (the BJP) are deactivating Aadhar cards. I received complaints from a number of MLAs and MPs, particularly those from North 24-Parganas, about the deactivation of several people's Aadhaar cards. She continued, "I have requested that my administration investigate these claims.

The letter that was sent to a woman in East Burdwan read "The undersigned is directed to inform that Aadhar number XXXX issued to you has been deactivated under the provisions of regulation 28A of Aadhar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016, for the reason the requirements for your stay in India are not fulfilled."

The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 (34 of 1920) stipulates that foreign nationals whose visa validity has expired or who do not meet the requirements for entry or stay in the country may have their Aadhar deactivated, as per regulation 28A of the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016, according to the UIDAI website. The Ministry of Home Affairs periodically releases guidelines in this respect.

In the letter, the UIDAI's Ranchi office in Jharkhand requested that this lady get in touch with any of its regional offices should she have any problems about her Aadhaar number.

An employee of the UIDAI's Ranchi regional office acknowledged that the organization had sent out around 1 lakh of these letters nationwide.

"For a variety of reasons, people whose Aadhaar number has caused uncertainty have received the letters. According to the UIDAI source, "We have so far sent about a lakh of these letters to various individuals across the nation."

After receiving one of these letters, Putul Sarkar, a resident of Juthihati village in Jamalpur, East Burdwan, stated she was afraid.

"After getting this notification about my Aadhaar number being deactivated, I am quite worried. "I'm not sure I could manage my bank accounts," she said, expressing uncertainty about her citizenship status in India.

At least twenty persons in Sajahan Mondal's Jaugram gram panchayat in Jamalpur, according to his deputy chairman, got similar letters from the Aadhaar authorities.

Since then, some individuals have expressed dissatisfaction about their inability to get their ration due to the Aadhaar-enabled system not recognizing their biometric. Since every individual who has received a letter deactivating their Aadhaar is a member of a very low-income family, we have already been in touch with our local government to request help," said Mondal.

According to a source, the Trinamul dispensation was keeping a careful eye on the events.

Mamata Bala Thakur, a leader of the Matua clan and a Trinamul candidate for the Rajya Sabha, claimed she has received reports from areas stating that hundreds of people have gotten similar letters.

"Among other people, Nadia and North 24-Parganas complained to me. I worry that this might be the start of applying the CAA or the NRC. People who deactivate their Aadhaar cannot vote or get government benefits. We will speak out against this kind of behavior," she said.

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