Residents of erstwhile Bangladeshi enclaves gathered at the district magistrate’s office here on Monday to demand that they be given “citizenship identity cards”, mirroring the fear among people who were formally given Indian citizenship as part of an international treaty four-and-a-half years ago.

Around 200-odd residents of the former enclaves that are Indian villages now were part of the team that submitted a memorandum at the DM’s office. DM Pawan Kadyan was not in office. The ADM accepted the charter.

The enclaves were merged with the Indian mainland in July 2015 as per the Land Boundary Agreement signed between India and Bangladesh.

“We had been told by the central government that we would be provided with citizenship cards. But till date no such card has been given to us,” said Bindeswar Burman, a resident of Falnapur, a former enclave at Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar.

“We have voter and Aadhaar cards. But central ministers and BJP leaders are saying that these are not proofs of identity. We got citizenship through registration after the enclaves were merged with India.

“We do not have any documentary proof of birth. Most of us are feeling insecure because we don’t know what to do if an NRC exercise is conducted in the state. Also, there is confusion over whether we will have to apply for citizenship again if the CAA is implemented,” Burman added.

They also alleged that all former enclave dwellers were yet to receive land documents. “Some khatians (a document mentioning details of the land and the records with the land reforms department) have been issued but there are errors in them. We want error-free khatians so that we can at least prove the ownership of our land,” another resident said.

Because of such problems, these residents are not getting the benefits of state and central schemes meant for farmers, they complained.