Tension continues to simmer as a person from Udalguri had to lose his life during his struggle to prove citizenship in the court of law.
Sensation prevails in Rowta area of Udalguri district following the death of a detainee on Thursday, who was declared foreigner by Foreigners Tribunal, Udalguri three years back and was languishing at Tezpur Detention Camp.
A number of organisations have demanded judicial probe into the case.
The person, as per report, identified as 65-year-old Jabbar Ali, who was a resident of Dhansrikhuti under Rowta PS in Udalguri, embraced an unnatural and mysterious death at the detention camp on Thursday following which police handed over the body to the family members for last rites on Thursday evening.
An irate villagers along with activists of All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU), Muslim Students Union of Assam (MUSA) and All Bodo Minority Students’ Union (ABMSU) have expressed deep concern over the mysterious death of the person and demanded a high-level judicial probe into the matter.
To pace the irate public, a team of police and paramilitary forces led by DSP (HQ), Udalguri, Moidul Islam rushed the spot and had taken stock of the situation.
The students’ organizations demanded compensation for the next kin of the victim whose relatives and parents are Indian citizens and he was too battling to prove his citizenship but couldn’t afford the legal services.
Police sources claim that the victim was suffering from some lung related ailments for long, which might be the reason for his sudden demise.
A pall of gloom descended the region as hundreds of people joined for performing Jannaza of the deceased.
Talking to Northeast Now, an Udalguri based lawyer says “Assam Border Police and Election Commission have violated fundamental rights of citizens more than all other agencies. They brandish Indian citizens of being illegal immigrants without any investigation and violate their fundamental rights.”
He further said that serving ex-parte notice is a strategy to force people to a Foreigners’ Tribunal in order not be declared a foreigner without even being heard.
An order by Gautam Soren, member of Foreigners Tribunal 3 (FT3) in Morigaon, highlighted “unfair practices” in the process of detection of foreigner in a order passed on August 27 last. He has has questioned the process of identifying foreigners and ‘D’ (or doubtful voters) who have been struck off the updated National Register of Citizens. He observed that foreigners’ cases “at this juncture have assumed the form of an industry as each and every person involved” with such cases have been “trying to mint money by any means”.