Moon Grocer

After Hours - A Tribe Called Quest

The body of a 51-year-old Muslim cattle herder, Montu Miya, was recovered from beneath a bridge over the Khutamara River in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district on Sunday, July 5, with his family alleging that he was killed by cow vigilantes while transporting a cow. CPIM also backed the allegation of family members, stating that Montu Miya was a party worker and he was "brutally murdered" by a "mob of cow vigilantes". Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. However, no arrests had been made at the time of publication, according to the deceased’s family. Montu Miya, a resident of Nagar Shingimari village under Golenawhati Gram Panchayat in Sitalkuchi block, worked as a dangowal (also locally known as rakhal), escorting cattle purchased at weekly markets to buyers' homes for a livelihood. According to residents, cattle trading in markets under the Sitalkuchi Police Station limits had remained suspended for nearly two months following the recent Assembly elections. The weekly cattle market at Gosai’s Market reportedly resumed on Saturday, July 4, following the change in government in Bengal. Yakub Miya, a resident of Pathantuli village, had purchased a cow from the market and requested Montu Miya to deliver it to his residence. Witnesses said Montu left on foot with the animal on Saturday evening but never returned home. His family searched for him throughout the night. On Sunday morning, local fishermen reportedly spotted a body beneath the Khutamara River bridge and alerted police. The deceased was later identified as Montu Miya. The cow he had been transporting was also reportedly found near the scene and identified by its owner. According to local reports, Montu Miya’s family alleged that he was brutally assaulted before his death. They claimed his body bore multiple injuries, including broken teeth and wounds across different parts of his body.

The BJP government’s indication that persons whose names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls,  and whose appeals remain pending before appellate tribunals, may be excluded from welfare schemes has deepened anxiety among thousands of disenfranchised voters in West Bengal. Around 27.16 lakh voters were deleted during the “Logical Discrepancy” or adjudication phase of the Special Intensive Revision process, a move that became highly controversial as opposition parties and many affected residents alleged that genuine voters were wrongly removed due to spelling mismatches, minor data discrepancies, lack of proper notice, and issues linking old and new electoral rolls.  Addressing a press conference after the first Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said welfare schemes would continue through what he described as a “transparent process,” but asserted that “no deceased person, illegal infiltrator, or non-Indian individual” would be allowed to receive benefits meant for citizens. Minister for women and child development, and social welfare Agnimitra Paul stated that individuals whose names were deleted during the SIR process and whose appeals remain pending would not receive benefits under the proposed Annapurna Bhandar scheme, which is set to replace the previous Lakshmir Bhandar programme.  She said the government intended to conduct an “analysis” to identify deleted voters, deceased persons, and “non-Indian citizens” before distributing benefits. Paul also stated that individuals who had applied for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and whose names were pending before tribunals would temporarily be kept out of the beneficiary list.

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The West Bengal government has begun verifying the eligibility of Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries based on the outcome of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state's electoral rolls, a move that could render thousands of people ineligible for ration benefits if their names have been deleted from voter lists. According to an order issued by the Food and Supplies Department, ration cards of individuals removed from the electoral rolls as "absent", "shifted", "duplicate" or "dead" will be marked inactive.  Persons excluded during the revision process, including those removed after adjudication and unmapped voters who failed to establish eligibility during hearings, will also lose access to PDS benefits.

The exercise is expected to conclude by June 15. However, individuals who have filed appeals before appellate tribunals or submitted applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will continue to receive benefits until their cases are resolved. Around 27.16 lakh voters were deleted during the “Logical Discrepancy” or adjudication phase of the Special Intensive Revision process, a move that became highly controversial as opposition parties and many affected residents alleged that genuine voters were wrongly removed due to spelling mismatches, minor data discrepancies, lack of proper notice, and issues linking old and new electoral rolls.  The move comes after the Supreme Court upheld the legality of the Special Intensive Revision on May 27, while clarifying that the Election Commission's inquiries for electoral purposes do not amount to a determination of citizenship and carry only electoral consequences. Earlier, Minister for women and child development, and social welfare Agnimitra Paul stated that individuals whose names were deleted during the SIR process and whose appeals remain pending would not receive benefits under the proposed Annapurna Bhandar scheme, which is set to replace the previous Lakshmir Bhandar programme.  Reacting to the development, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the linking of welfare benefits to voter rolls. “Government schemes are not rewards for voters. They are meant for all eligible citizens,” Owaisi said.