{"url":"https://www.epw.in/journal/2026/15/notes/bare-life-d-voters-case-study-haripur-and-amguri.html","title":"Bare Life: D-Voters' Struggle in Assam","domain":"epw.in","imageUrl":"https://images.pexels.com/photos/37067824/pexels-photo-37067824.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=650&w=940","pexelsSearchTerm":"Assam villagers struggling","category":"Politics","language":"en","slug":"725b4239","id":"725b4239-e659-4de3-8802-b61e279254ec","description":"Article examines D-voters in Assam, caught between citizen and non-citizen status amid citizenship battles.","summary":"## TL;DR\n- Article examines D-voters in Assam, caught between citizen and non-citizen status amid citizenship battles.\n- D-voter mark, devised by ECI in 1997, suspends voting rights and shifts proof burden to individuals before 1971 cut-off.\n- Marginalisation reduces lives to \"bare life,\" urging priority resolution of citizenship question.\n\n## The story at a glance\nD-voters in Assam face suspension of citizenship rights due to doubts over their legal status, forcing them into legal battles at Foreigners Tribunals to prove Indian citizenship before the **25 March 1971** cut-off from the *Assam Accord*. The **Election Commission of India (ECI)** created this category in 1997, with border police referring cases. This piece highlights social, economic, and political marginalisation in areas like Haripur and Amguri, arguing for urgent attention to prevent \"bare life.\"\n\n## Key points\n- D-voters are marked \"D\" in electoral rolls if unable to provide documents proving citizenship, suspending all rights including voting.\n- System places \"burden of proof\" on individuals; state does not prove non-citizenship.\n- Cases go to **Foreigners Tribunal (FT)** via border police, requiring evidence of presence in India before **25 March 1971** per *Assam Accord 1985*.\n- Category exclusive to Assam, started in 1997 by ECI.\n- D-voters fight dual struggles: daily survival and legal proof of citizenship.\n- References include Pisharoty (2018), Mahanta (2021), CJP (2023), Barpujari (1998).\n\n## Details and context\nThe D-voter system stems from Assam's concerns over immigration, formalised by the *Assam Accord* cut-off date. Once marked, individuals lose voting rights immediately and must navigate tribunals, where failure declares them foreigners.\n\nAuthors focus on Haripur and Amguri as case studies, showing deep marginalisation. They thank journalist Sanatan Sutradhar and respondents, noting an anonymous reviewer's input.\n\nThis setup reduces people to \"bare life\" in their own country, per the article's call for priority action on citizenship.\n\n## Why it matters\nD-voters' plight reveals tensions in Assam's citizenship framework, risking widespread human rights erosion. It means thousands face suspended rights, economic hardship, and exclusion from political life unless resolved. Watch tribunal outcomes and policy shifts post-NRC updates, though full impacts remain uncertain.","hashtags":["#assam","#india","#citizenship","#immigration","#politics","#rights"],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.epw.in/journal/2026/15/notes/bare-life-d-voters-case-study-haripur-and-amguri.html","title":"Original article"}],"viewCount":2,"publishedAt":"2026-04-16T06:37:19.573Z","createdAt":"2026-04-16T06:37:19.573Z","articlePublishedAt":"2026-04-10T20:24:34.000Z"}