Cox’s Bazar district administration probe finds 98 Rohingyas on voter list

Cox’s Bazar district administration has found 98 Rohingyas on the voter list during a probe, though an intelligence agency had reported nearly 400 Rohingyas on the electoral roll.

The Election Commission said it would delist the Rohingyas from the list after the probe.

The intelligence agency in a report sent to the Prime Minister’s Office on Oct 23 last year said 388 Rohingyas had found their way onto the voter list.

It said Cox’s Bazar MP Abdur Rahman Badi, several other public representatives and touts had helped the Rohingyas to enrol as voters.

Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Ali Hossain told bdnews24.com: “I’ve sent the probe report to the Election Commission.”

“The report, based on information of Upazila-level special committees, and recommendations have been sent to the Commission,” he added.

Hossain said they did not get any list or directives to investigate assistance from public representatives including Badi to Rohingyas for becoming Bangladeshi voters.

District Election Officer Mejbah Uddin told bdnews24.com those identified as Rohingyas would be delisted from the voter roll.

He added that they, too, did not get any directives to look into the reported involvement of the public representatives.

98 Rohingyas, 184 Bangladeshis

Deputy Commissioner Hossain sent the probe report on 388 people to the EC on Apr 7.

The report said 98 of them were Rohingyas, 184 Bangladeshis and 32 have their roots in Myanmar.

It said the Commission was unable to do anything about the remaining 74.

The EC in November asked the Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner and election officer to investigate the matter and report to it.