To reach Totopara, home of the Toto tribe along the Indo-Bhutan border, one must travel across gravel beds and three shallow rivers along a broken cart path. Despite decades of political promises, there is no bridge or causeway to enter this remote Indo-Bhutan border village. The Totos, recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), have drawn researchers and anthropologists for decades due to their distinct culture, language and historical way of life.

The Toto population has increased marginally over time, though many working-age residents now migrate to other Indian states or abroad for employment. This has changed the day-to-day demographic patterns inside the village, with many households having one or more members living elsewhere. At the same time, families from neighbouring regions have settled in Totopara over the years, gradually creating a more diverse local population.

It is in this atmosphere that Special Intensive Revision (SIR) forms were delivered, abruptly and without explanation.

Padma Shri awardee Dhaniram Toto, who created the first written alphabet for the Toto language, told The Wire, “A Booth Level Officer (BLO) delivered the SIR paper to our house. We are a primitive tribe in this village. The eighth generation of Totos has been living here. So we can’t be called outsiders.”

Residents say the problem is not documentation but the lack of guidance. The BLO allegedly dropped forms at every house and left.

“The BLO just delivered the form and asked us to submit it to a village leader. The BLO just delivered the form and vanished. The government doesn’t care how many people in this village are educated. Many families don’t have mobile phones. Their sons are away for years. Why is the commission so negligent?” asked Bhakta Toto, a retired government employee.

Local concerns extend beyond the SIR. The process has brought renewed focus on how the Toto community’s cultural identity is documented. Research on the Totos consistently notes that they follow nature-centric practices, including veneration of local deities associated with forests, rivers and hills. Rituals are performed under large trees or near natural features rather than in built structures, and their traditions historically developed independent of organised religion.

Dhananjay Toto said, “We are losing interest in voting. We are not Hindus, yet we are being framed as Hindus! This is a new danger for the Totos. And leaders do not care what 750 voters think.”

Education infrastructure in the village has faced long-standing challenges, including a severe shortage of teaching staff. The first schools established in the 1980s and 1990s continue to function, though staffing gaps have affected classroom hours. Some residents said they hoped for consistent teacher appointments, particularly for higher classes.

Barsha Toto, a ninth-grade student, said, “School ends at 12 pm. There is no teacher, who will teach?”

Village elder Suren Toto explained, “The one who became a BLO is a schoolmaster. There are questions about how he got the job. Educated Toto boys didn’t get it. He is avoiding us.”

Healthcare tells a similar story. A large health centre built in the early 1990s stands largely unused, with no permanent doctor, no medicine supply and no functional services.

“The health centre stands but is useless,” said Bhakta Toto. “I have asked MPs, MLAs, ministers for years. No response. What we have is our tradition – we try to protect that.”

Even basic necessities like drinking water remain unaddressed. A government pipeline exists, but no water flows through it. Families trek to nearby Bhutanese hill springs for drinking water.

Connectivity remains the physical symbol of neglect. Totopara still has no bridge. During monsoons, the village is fully cut off. Mobile internet is slow and intermittent. Many households have no phones, so elders must visit neighbours to receive calls from migrant sons. Even the local BLO hung up when contacted by this reporter – reinforcing the sense of abandonment.

With weak infrastructure, collapsing public services, outsider settlement, and fear over the SIR process, villagers worry that their cultural footprint may fade even if their numbers rise. As one elder remarked, “Pictures of misery spread throughout the village.”

And in the end, the central uncertainty persists regarding whether SIR will protect the Toto community’s identity and rights, or if it will push an already vulnerable people closer to cultural and administrative erasure. For now, from across the three rivers of Totopara, the answer remains painfully uncertain.

Translated from Bengali by Aparna Bhattacharya.

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