BSF asst sub-inspector, wife declared 'foreigners' in Assam

Hailing from Assam’s Golaghat district, Muzibur Rahman and his wife were declared as foreigners despite his parents and siblings being 'listed' as Indians. The citizenship of the officer's parents and his siblings are, however, not in doubt.

Golaghat (Assam):An assistant sub-inspector of the Border Security Force (BSF) and his wife have been declared 'foreigners' by Golaghat-based Foreigners’ Tribunal (FT) in Assam.

The tribunal declared Muzibur Rahman and his wife as non-Indians in an ex-parte or one-sided judgement in July.

The citizenship of the officer's parents and his siblings are, however, not in doubt. The family is based in Golaghat district's Udaypur-Mikirpatty close to the Assam-Nagaland border.

Rahman, who is now posted in Punjab, and his wife were declared foreigners in December last year but the family was informed about this only last month, they claimed.

"On July 29 the village head came to us and said that the Majibur Rahman and his wife are being sought at Golaghat circuit house. It was only when the Circle Officer told us that a D- (doubtful) voter notification had been issued for Muzibur in December last year and a judgement has been delivered on the same by a FT declaring him and his wife foreigners. We were astonished. We didn't know what to do," said Muzibur's brother-in-law while speaking to the media.

When asked if there is anything he would like to say to the government, the brother-in-law said, "After humiliating a person like Muzibur Rahman, I would like to request the government of Assam, not to make another genuine citizen suffer like him."

Speaking to reporters, Rahman's father Bapdhan Ali said except the two, everyone in his family have been included in the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the final version of which will be published on August 31.

Rahman only came to know of the judgement against him when he came home on leave in July last week.

Earlier, Kargil war veteran Mohammad Sanaullah and Central Industrial Security Force jawan Mamud Ali were also declared foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunal.

Soon after the Sanaullah incident, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat had said no jawan will be allowed to face any difficulties if his name does not come in the NRC and that the force will extend all assistance in this regard.

Names of over 40 lakh people were not included in the complete draft of the NRC published last year.

Assam, which had faced an influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC which was first prepared in 1951.

It is being updated now under the supervision of the Supreme Court.