PATNA: Aadhaar saturation rates in Seemanchal region of election-bound Bihar are above 100 per cent, official data revealed. The data was collected from Seemanchal region comprising Kishanganj, Purnea, Katihar and Araria districts—that have Muslim populations ranging from 39 per cent to 68 per cent.
According to official data collected during caste-based survey by the Bihar government, while the state’s average Aadhaar coverage stands at around 94 per cent, Kishanganj, with 68 per cent Muslim population, shows an Aadhaar saturation of 105.16 per cent of the district’s total population.
Similarly, Katihar (45 per cent Muslim population) and Araria (50 per cent) each have a saturation rate of 101.92 per cent and 102.23 per cent, respectively. Purnia (with 39 per cent Muslim population) stands at 101 per cent of the district’s total population.
The figures suggested that there were over 120 Aadhaar cards for every 100 residents in Seemanchal region, which shares its border with West Bengal and Nepal.
This anomaly raised questions about who these additional Aadhaar cards were meant for and why they existed.
Authoritative sources said that Aadhaar cards were being mostly used for obtaining domicile certificates in these districts. Sudden rise in applications for domicile certificates also raised doubts and officials posted in the districts shared their concerns with their seniors in the state secretariat.
Deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary said that around 2 lakh applications have been submitted for domicile certificates in the past one week and so in Kishanganj district alone. A sudden jump in applications for domicile certificates in Muzaffarpur district has also raised concern, he added.
“The state government has ordered an investigation into sudden jump in applications for domicile certificates in Seemanchal region, especially after the Election Commission (EC’s) Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls started on June 24,” he told the media.
Deputy chief minister did not rule out possibility of Bangladeshi citizens settling in these districts as country’s international border with Bangladesh is not far off from Kishanganj.
An IAS officer posted as district magistrate in Seemanchal region, said on condition of anonymity that the district administration was keeping a close watch on applications for domicile certificates under his jurisdiction.
According to official figures, 1,27,000 applications for domicile certificates were submitted to authorities concerned in Kishanganj district between July 1 and 6.
The four districts of Seemanchal region have registered about 16 per cent growth in Muslim population between 1951 and 2011, as per census. The average Muslim population in the four districts stands at 47 per cent.
The issue has stirred debate not only in poll-bound Bihar but also in neighbouring West Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee’s government is already grappling with Aadhaar card deactivation concerns. Many political observers have questioned whether this is an attempt by Opposition parties and the Left to position Aadhaar as proof of citizenship.
“Given the one person-one Aadhaar rule, the figures have triggered concerns over possible duplication or issuance to non-citizens. Seemanchal’s geographical location adds sensitivity to the issue, as the region borders West Bengal, Nepal, and is not far from Bangladesh,” said a senior journalist Pramod Kumar, who earlier worked in Purnea.
The Opposition, including RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, called for a Bihar bandh on July 9 to protest the EC’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, which excludes Aadhaar as valid proof for voter verification.