Assam Foreigners’ Tribunal tags Bengal man as illegal migrant; sparks political row
The farmer received the notice in January but could not initially comprehend its contents.
A file image of Foreigner Tribunals. (PTI Image)
Cooch Behar, July 7: A 50-year-old farmer from West Bengal’s Dinhata has allegedly been served a notice by a Foreigners’ Tribunal in Assam declaring him a suspected illegal migrant, triggering a political row between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
Uttam Kumar, a resident of Sadyaler Kuthi in the Dinhata subdivision of Cooch Behar district, said he was shocked to receive the notice earlier this year, which accused him of having “entered the country illegally through Assam between 1966 and 1971.”
"I have never gone outside Cooch Behar in my life. I was born and raised here. How can I be an illegal migrant?" a visibly distraught Uttam told reporters.
A marginal farmer struggling to support his family, Uttam said he received the notice in January but could not initially comprehend its contents.
"I was served the notice in January. I don't read things well, so I showed it to my neighbours. That is when I learnt Assam has charged me with being an illegal infiltrator," he said.
The notice reportedly states that Uttam failed to submit the required documents during police verification, leading to his classification as a suspected illegal immigrant.
Foreigners’ Tribunals, which operate only in Assam, are quasi-judicial bodies set up to determine the citizenship status of individuals suspected of being foreigners.
The case has sparked sharp political reactions. The ruling Trinamool Congress has condemned the move, calling it further evidence of what it claims is the BJP’s “anti-Bengali” stance.
"All residents of the Brahmaputra basin, who migrated before 1971, are Indian citizens as per the Assam Accord. Even if we assume someone entered before 1971, they are legitimate Indians," said Udayan Guha, the North Bengal development minister.
"Uttam is a Rajbanshi, a son of this soil. This notice is outrageous. The BJP can't stand Bengalis. They are trying to repeat the NRC chaos of Assam here," Guha alleged.
The Trinamool Congress also issued a strong statement on social media platform X, lashing out at the BJP.
"A resident of Dinhata, Cooch Behar is being hunted like a criminal by Assam's Foreigners Tribunal. Despite submitting every valid identity proof, he's being hounded and asked to cough up electoral rolls from every election between 1966 and 2008. Smt. @MamataOfficial has made it crystal clear that witch hunts under the guise of NRC have no place in Bengal. We will not allow @BJP4India to turn our land into another detention camp," the TMC said.
"They did it in Assam. They want to do it here. And if they ever come to power, no one will be spared. As long as Didi is at the helm, the Bangla-Birodhi (anti-Bengal) BJP will not be allowed to touch a single hair on our people's heads. Let that be a warning," it said on the social media platform.
The BJP, however, rejected the accusations and instead blamed the Mamata Banerjee-led state government for the confusion over identity documentation.
"There may be one or two stray cases. But we hold the Mamata Banerjee government accountable for the situation. The lines between real citizens and those using forged documents have become increasingly blurred," a Bengal BJP leader said.
Thousands of infiltrators from Bangladesh have managed to create fake papers identifying them as Bengal residents and are now moving across the country as Indian nationals, he claimed.
Sushil Chandra Barman, BJP MLA from Mathabhanga, also questioned the state administration's role.
"Uttam is a registered voter. If Assam has served him a notice, where is the state government? Do they not have a responsibility to protect their people? This could be a deliberate conspiracy to brand the BJP as anti-Bengali," he added.
PTI