At its last hearing, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to hear their applications and “unfreeze” voting roll to include their names in supplementary lists, to be released on April 21 (for the April 23 polling) and April 27 (for the April 29 phase).

On April 21, at the Joka institute, every one of the applicants was told the same thing: to wait for a “summons”, and then come to the tribunals.

Meanwhile, from the ECI, there was no word on what to expect in the supplementary list expected by the end of day, including the total number of applications being heard. A senior official said, “Details would be shared in the list.”

Down heavily barricaded roads, the Joka institute, with paramilitary forces and police deployed around it, gave no indication of activity within. The only flurry was in the morning, around 10.30 am, when the retired judges heading the tribunals and their retinue drove in.

After that, no one else was allowed past the gates.

Ram Prasad Biswas, a resident of Bagdah in North 24 Parganas, which votes on April 29, said: “I have been coming here practically every day. I went to the District Magistrate’s office and the Sub-Divisional Officer’s office, and they both told me to go to the tribunals. Here, they are not allowing me to meet the judges.”

Carrying all his documents, including his passport, the 25-year-old said the names of his parents and paternal grandfather are both in the roll. It’s not the fact that he may not be able to vote that worries him as much, said Biswas, standing at the gates of the Joka institute. “It’s that I am a citizen but I am being made to feel like an outsider, a Rohingya.”

Rupa Sen, who works in Gantok, said since her father died recently, she had put her mother’s name to establish a link, but was told it was not enough. The 35-year-old said her Booth Level Officer told her she could not do anything, and so she came to the Joka institute. “But here they are saying only if one gets summons, is one allowed inside,” said Sen, adding she has no idea when that would be, or how she can take more leave.

Sukhdeb Sarkar, 72, a tea-shop owner from Joka, stood with his papers as well as those of his wife and two sons, all of whom are deleted from the electoral roll. Sarkar was born in Bangladesh, but moved with his wife to India in 1971, during the Bangladesh War.

“I filled in the form for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as well, but I have not got any call for that… I don’t want to go back,” Sarkar said.

Hassan Khan, 24, from Bardhaman said his parents figure in the voting list as does his sister, but names of him and his other siblings are missing. “Locals told me to come to the tribunals. But the police are saying we will get summons, and only then we should come. There is complete miscommunication.”

Anwara Begum said she had come for her brothers Sheikh Nurudin Ahmed and Sheikh Hafisudin Ahmed. “They live in Malda. Since I stay close by, they asked me to find out if hearings were taking place. But here there is nothing, no clarity. There is not even a help desk where we can go,” said Anwara, who is in her 30s.

Chandan Purkayat said he had come from Baruipur on behalf of his aunt, who is 50. “We wrote to the District Magistrate, ECI and Chief Electoral Officer over the deletion of her name. When we filed an appeal on March 3, their reply was that we must wait for 45-50 days. But now we don’t have the patience. My aunt is very worried, we are all worried as only her name has been deleted,” Purkayat said.

Sabidul Mulla from Satgachia in South 24 Parganas said his father’s and sister’s names were missing, “It is not normal that children’s names are there but their father’s name is missing. My father has stopped eating due to the tension. They (the ECI) talk of free and fair elections… What fairness is this? This tension that we may be sent to camps really has us worried.”