A notice issued by Assam’s Foreigners Tribunal to a 50-year-old farmer from Dinhata in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district, declaring him an ‘illegal migrant’, has sparked a major political storm in the state, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee calling it a ‘systematic assault on democracy’.
Uttam Kumar, a resident of Sadyaler Kuthi in the Dinhata subdivision, received the notice in January, alleging that he had entered India “illegally through Assam between 1966 and 1971.”
The notice claims that Kumar failed to produce the necessary documents during police verification, leading to his classification as a suspected “illegal immigrant”.
In Assam, Foreigners’ Tribunals have the authority to adjudicate such citizenship disputes.
The notice, issued through the Deputy Commissioner of Police (B), Guwahati, alleged that Uttam Kumar “could not produce any valid document during enquiry/verification regarding his Indian citizenship within the stipulated time given by the police,” and that “on the grounds made in the reference, you are suspected to be an illegal migrant.”
It further stated, “Therefore, as per provision of Order 3(1) of the Foreigners (Tribunal) Order, 1964, you are asked to appear in person or through a concerned lawyer engaged by you before this Foreigners’ Tribunal on 06-01-25 at 10:00 AM, to show cause supported by valid documents as admissible to prove that you are not a foreigner/illegal migrant as required under Section 9 of the Foreigners Act, 1946.”
The notice also warned, “Upon failure to respond to this notice on your part, the Tribunal shall proceed to decide the reference ex-parte.”
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
