The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), on Monday, clarified that while intimation for updating the Aadhaar database is regularly sent to holders, no Aadhaar numbers have been canceled. This statement follows West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that the BJP-led Centre was 'deactivating' Aadhaar cards in her state, made just a day prior.
Addressing a public distribution event in Birbhum district, Banerjee claimed that the central government deactivated Aadhaar cards of individuals in the state before the Lok Sabha polls, preventing them from accessing benefits under various social welfare schemes.
Additionally, she stated that her government is committed to continuing state-run welfare programmes, even for beneficiaries without an Aadhaar card.
What do we know about the deactivated Aadhaar numbers?
As shared by several X users, panic ensued among many in Bengal as they received letters from the UIDAI stating that their Aadhaar numbers were deactivated due to unmet residency requirements.
The letter, as shared by the recipients, reads: "The undersigned is directed to inform that Aadhaar number XXXX issued to you has been deactivated under the provisions of regulation 28A of Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016, for the reason the requirements for your stay in India are not fulfilled." The letter, issued by the Ranchi office in Jharkhand, further directs individuals to reach out to any of the UIDAI's regional offices for assistance.
According to the UIDAI website, regulation 28A of Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016, is a provision to deactivate the Aadhaar for foreign nationals whose period of validity of visa for stay in India has expired or for any person ho has not fulfilled the requirements for their entry to or stay in the country under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920. The guidelines are issued by the ministry of home affairs in this regard from time to time.
The West Bengal CM alleged that Aadhaar cards of 50 people at Jamalpur in Purba Bardhaman district and several others in Birbhum, North and South 24 Parganas as well as in North Bengal have been "delinked".
However, as per The Statesman report, on Tuesday alone, Aadhaar deactivation letters were issued to a minimum of 110 families of West Bengal in Kenna, Uday Pally, Bishnupur, and Maheshdanga refugee colonies in Memari. Likewise, approximately 300 families residing in Gopalpur, Ajodhya, and Mankar Panchayat areas in Kanksa and Galsi-1 block of West Burdwan faced a similar fate.
How has the government responded?
Accusing the Union government of deactivating Aadhaar cards for individuals in West Bengal, including those belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Communities (OBC), Banerjee asserted that this action aims to deprive them of the benefits offered by her government's Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, she sought clarification on the "sudden, severe, and indiscriminate" deactivation of Aadhaar cards.
She further alleged that the “intention” behind the “deactivation” of Aadhaar cards was to prepare the National Register of Citizens. “I want to clearly say that I will not allow the NRC and detention camps in Bengal," Banerjee added.
Responding to the situation, BJP leader and Union minister Shantanu Thakur said the people whose Aadhaar cards had been deactivated would get them back. Addressing the media, Thakur said that the Union home ministry has ceased the deactivation process, and individuals whose cards were previously deactivated will have them restored.
The responsibility to gather applications from affected individuals has been assigned to Thakur, as he said. He further instructed the applicants to send in their name, phone number, and Aadhaar number, along with the letter indicating the deactivation, for the purpose of redressal. Thakur has assured that upon submission to the home ministry, the issue will be addressed.
He further emphasised that the deactivation was attributed to a "technical fault", and that the CM is misguiding people by making such claims.
Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday, also wrote on X, that all the deactivated cards would be activated again within 24 hours, as assured by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Asserting that the Ministry were completely unaware of such step taken by the regional office at Ranchi, Adhikari said, "An investigation is likely to be conducted to unearth the truth and to ascertain whether any conspiracy was hatched before the polls."