NONGSTOIN/ TURA: The Aadhaar “opt-out” campaign here gained momentum on Wednesday with the Khasi Students’ Union, Nongstoin circle, facilitating people to scrap their names off the unique 12-digit identity card.
The exercise of opting out of Aadhaar was carried out in two venues, Mix Arts building and KSU West Khasi Hills district unit office, which is near RIIT Institute, New Nongstoin. Hundreds of people rushed to these places but most of them were not familiar with the process with some failing to bring the cards.
The Meghalaya People’s Committee on Aadhaar (MPCA) is spearheading the opt-out campaign.
Chaos marked the situation here on Tuesday as people could not locate the office of the KSU where they were to carry out a similar exercise.
Asked why she wanted to opt out from Aadhaar, Bari Sohtun, a resident of Mawthawniaw village said that she did not feel the need for it.
She said the authorities had objected to her decision in the first place, saying that she would face difficulties in future without the identity card. “However I am happy that the KSU has taken such a step to scrap off our names from Aadhaar,” Sohtun said.
Various government employees and teachers also came to the centres to scrap their names off Aadhaar.
A resident of Upper New Nongstoin, Pynshngainlang said that negative rumours about the process prompted him to opt out.
Franklin Syiemiong, the general secretary of KSU, Nongstoin circle, said the initiative of scrapping off names from Aadhaar was taken by the union. He urged the others who wished to do the same to come to the KSU office here.
While some had even torn their cards out of fear, Syiemiong however requested people to bring the cards as it would then be easier to facilitate the opt-out process.
“The process of scrapping Aadhaar will continue. But the process should be voluntary and people should not be coerced to scrap their names off Aadhaar,” he said.
Garo NGO against Aadhaar enrolment drive
Meanwhile the Garo Hills based Association for Democracy and Empowerment (ADE) too has announced it would oppose the ongoing Aadhaar enrolment in the state on the grounds that it was violating citizens’ constitutional rights and went against the Supreme Court ruling.
“We are supporting the MPCA in opposing the implementation of Aadhaar card because it is being imposed on the people residing in a Sixth Schedule state like Meghalaya. We are calling upon all citizens to join the opposition to Aadhaar enrolment,” said ADE president Dalseng Bira Ch Momin.
The association said authorities were ‘falsely’ attempting to sway people’s opinion in favour of Aadhaar by claiming that it was mandatory and hence had to be linked to documents such as PAN, bank account number and mobile SIM card among others.
“The Supreme Court of India has in its ruling by Justice J Chelameswar, on August 11, 2015, raised concerns and made it clear that it is not mandatory for social welfare benefits already availed,” the ADE leader said.
“Such a move to enforce Aadhaar into every aspect of one’s life is tantamount to turning a democratic India into a closely monitored police state. Even the biometric identification of citizens is a comprehensive intelligence initiative with financial surveillance at its core,” ADE alleged.
It claimed that the idea behind the system of enrolling every citizen under Aadhaar would facilitate control and monitoring of citizens’ lives, both personal and public, by the authority.
