Free ex-Army man unconditionally, demands minority bodies
GUWAHATI: Asom Sankhyalaghu Sangram Parishad, a leading minority organisation, has submitted a memorandum to the Assam chief minister seeking his intervention in cases of people from the minority community being “illegally declared foreign nationals by the foreigners’ tribunals in Assam.”
The Parishad, in particular, sought immediate measures to “unconditionally free” former Army honorary lieutenant, Md Sana Ullah, who was last month declared a “foreign national”, sent to a detention camp in Goalpara.
The minority organisation alleged that “members of foreigners’ tribunal are not following the established law and have been declaring Indian citizens as foreigners as per their whims.”
The Parishad pointed out that Md Sana Ullah had served the armed forces for 30 years and has had a good career, having also taken part in the Kargil war. Besides, the Army had recruited him only after establishing that Sana Ullah is a bona fide Indian national, it stated.
“The foreigners’ tribunal at the outset should investigate the report of the inquiry officer and if it has been proved correct, send notices to the person concerned. But it has been seen in most cases that the tribunal has not investigated the report submitted by the inquiry officer and blindly sent notices to the person concerned,” the Parishad stated in the memorandum.
The minority body also raised doubts whether the members of the foreigners’ tribunals could understand and appreciate the documents submitted by persons. “The presiding officers lack knowledge of the Evidence Act and therefore are not able to appreciate the admissibility of documents,” it alleged.
The Parishad urged the chief minister to ensure that such loopholes need to be plugged and rectified in the interest of bona fide Indian citizens, who are being declared foreigners without evidence.
Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal meanwhile had told a section of the media that the “entire matter will be examined by the state government.”
The All Assam Minority Students Union too had sought immediate intervention of the chief minister in the case, also threatening to launch an agitation after Eid-ul Fitre, if no action was taken against the “conspirators” in the case and “harassment against people from minority communities not stopped”.
It may be mentioned that Chandramal Das, the investigation officer admitted before a television channel that the “Sana Ullah he questioned back in 2008 was not the ex-Army officer but a daily wage earner”.
Family members have already moved Gauhati High Court challenging the Boko foreigners’ tribunal’s order.
Three key “witnesses” in the case have also filed FIRs at Boko police station against the inquiry officer, claiming that they never gave any statements to Das.