SIR sparks panic in Bengal's Matua belt

For the Matuas, a Hindu refugee community with a decisive presence in over 40 assembly seats across the border districts of North 24 Parganas, Nadia and parts of South 24 Parganas, the Election Commission's decision to conduct the first SIR since 2002 to weed out duplicate, dead, and ineligible voters, has revived anxieties over identity and citizenship.