The Election Commission (EC) has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against the inclusion of Rohingyas in the national voter list, announcing that any person identified as Rohingya will be removed immediately.
“If anyone is identified as a Rohingya in the voter list, will be excluded without delay. This is now a standing decision,” Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah told reporters after a commission meeting today.
He referred to a recent case where a petition was filed concerning a Rohingya being allegedly included in the voter list during a Union Parishad election in Cox’s Bazar last year.
The petitioner had sought to halt the election, but the court instead directed authorities to investigate the matter.
“We regularly update voter lists, especially in sensitive areas like the Cox’s Bazar region to prevent Rohingya infiltration,” Sanaullah said.
The commissioner said, “However, if anyone manages to get in through fraudulent means, we now have a policy to remove them immediately.”
Acknowledging citizen frustration on the delay in correcting information in the National Identity Card (NID) the commissioner said the commission has taken plan for simplifying the process.
“If an application is made without dishonest intent, we will resolve it easily and quickly.” he said.
Commenting on the issue of duplicate or fraudulent NIDs, he said, “In cases of multiple NIDs, the first one will remain valid and the second one will be canceled.
“We’re also discouraging age fraud for job applications and will take strict action against anyone trying to change their identity entirely,” he said.
Sanaullah said the NID database currently has about 209,000 cases flagged for biometric duplication, roughly 0.16% of the entire database.
Cox’s Bazar Life Desk/BSS
