GUWAHATI: After Army’s retired honourary captain Md Sanaullah, an assistant sub-inspector of the Border Security Force has now been declared a “foreigner” by the Foreigners’ Tribunal in Assam.
The Foreigners’ Tribunal in Jorhat declared Muzibur Rahman as a foreigner, ex-parte – without his case being heard. His wife has also been declared a foreigner. The authorities, however, have no suspicion on the Indian citizenship of his parents and his siblings.
The family hails from Udaypur-Mikirpatty of Merapani in Golaghat district on the Assam-Nagaland border.
Rahman, who is posted in Punjab, came to know of the judgement against him recently when he had come home on leave.
He said the border police had submitted a report to the Foreigners’ Tribunal against him based on the account of a “drunkard”. The border police are mandated to report to the Foreigners’ Tribunals on suspected illegal immigrants. Subsequently, the cases are dealt with by the tribunals.
“I am a genuine Indian citizen but have been declared a foreigner based on the account of a drunkard. I was away and my family did not receive the tribunal’s notice. The chief of our village also did not inform me. Recently, when I came home on leave, I came to know that I was a declared a foreigner by the tribunal,” Rahman said.
He said he would have settled the case if he had an inkling of the case. He said he had already moved the Gauhati High Court.
“I support any action taken against the illegal immigrants but I want that the genuine Indians should not be tortured this way. We have land documents dating back to 1923,” he said.
On May 28, Sanaullah, a resident of Guwahati, was declared a foreigner by the tribunal and sent to the detention camp in Goalpara. About a week later, he walked to freedom after being granted bail by the Gauhati High Court. Following his retirement from the Army, he was serving in the border police as an officer.