Champhai: In a border town in Mizoram, the fear of ‘666’ — the biblical “Number of the Beast”— has kept an entire community away from the state’s systems of identity. For them, voter registration, Aadhaar cards, bank accounts and other official documents are not routine paperwork; they risk being seen with a mark forbidden by their faith.That belief has left 67 members of the “Delete Church” outside the electoral roll and, in some cases, outside schools, welfare systems and other everyday institutions.The fear of the number ‘666’ is known as Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. The number finds mention in the Bible’s Book of Revelation.On Friday, members of the community told Mizoram chief electoral officer (CEO) Garima Gupta that this is why they had stayed out of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Their names, they said, should not be added because enrolment was incompatible with their religious beliefs.Gupta travelled to Zotlang, a neighbourhood in Champhai town near the Myanmar border, to hear the community out. The visit followed a day of meetings with election officials, civil society representatives and political parties in the district.The reception was warm and the exchange cordial. But the community’s answer was unambiguous — it did not want to be counted as voters.The Delete Church is one of several small denominations in Mizoram whose members have rejected formal identification. Some have also declined school enrolment for their children and avoided ration cards, driving licences, Aadhaar cards, bank accounts and other identity documents.Of the 67 members, an estimated 30 to 40 are eligible for voter enrolment. More than 20 are minors.Gupta was accompanied by joint CEO Ethel Rothangpuii, Champhai district election officer Ngulzaṭhuama and Lalchhuanawma Ralte, assistant electoral registration officer for the Champhai South assembly constituency.The encounter came as Mizoram’s SIR exercise, which began on May 20, entered its final stretch. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published at 11 am on Monday, Sept 7.
