GUWAHATI: Assam’s minority-based opposition party, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), on Wednesday petitioned Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, protesting “continued” harassment of Indian Muslims on the pretext of identifying and apprehending “so-called illegal foreigners” in the state.
A delegation of the party met the governor and submitted a memorandum to him seeking his intervention in the matter.
The party alleged people, especially from the Muslim community, were being picked up, interrogated and even arrested on the mere suspicion of being illegal immigrants.
“The actions have often been taken without credible evidence, legal notice, or proper verification of documents. Some were released after they were found to be genuine Indian citizens,” the memorandum said.
The memorandum further stated that most of the people from the Muslim community, belonging to poor families and surviving on daily wages as labourers, hardly had any scope to defend themselves from such “atrocities.”
Such trauma, indignity and reputational damage caused to them and their families cannot be undone, it said.
“Such repeated incidents have created an atmosphere of fear and anxiety among large sections of our population, particularly among poor and marginalised Muslims…It is alarming that even individuals possessing valid documentation such as voter ID cards, Aadhaar and land records are being subjected to doubt and harassment,” the AIUDF wrote.
The memorandum said the AIUDF did not support illegal immigration but believed in the sovereignty of the nation and the sanctity of its borders.
The party urged the governor to direct authorities to exercise caution in identifying suspected foreigners, ensure that no Indian citizen is wrongfully detained or subjected to intimidation, and investigate and hold accountable those responsible for wrongful arrests or misuse of power.
The party sought a transparent and humane procedure with adequate legal aid for verifying citizenship claims and promotion of awareness among government officials and the public to avoid communal profiling. It stressed that the enforcement measures should be free from bias or prejudice.