GUWAHATI: Members of the All Assam Minority Students Union on Monday gheraoed the Sonitipur deputy commissioner’s office at Tezpur in protest against the notification issued by Assam police (border branch) to allegedly “brand” one of its leaders a foreigner.
The Sonitpur district committee of the students union staged the protest after the border branch of Assam police notified Riazul Islam, president of AAMSU Bhomoraguri regional unit, alleging that “fake” references and documents have been produced to brand him a foreigner and subsequently send him to a detention camp.
Speaking to the media, AAMSU central committee president Rejaul Karim Sarkar, who took part along with several other leaders, threatened to stage a state-wide democratic agitation in the coming days “if minorities were targeted in this manner and made victims of conspiracies”.
“We have seen in the past that such notices were issued to people from the minority communities without any inquiry and they have been compelled to go to the foreigners’ tribunals. Even people from the armed forces have not been spared. It is a shame that the state government has failed to take note of this,” Sarkar said.
“We have submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner today requesting the Sonitpur district administration to verify and re-check that genuine Indians with valid land and other related documents are not harassed. Hundreds of people in the district have been branded foreigners and sent to detention camps,” he claimed.
The AAMSU leader further said that the union had no issues against declared foreigners being sent to detention camps or deported subsequently to their countries.
“The chief minister should immediately institute a probe into the functioning of the border police in regard to the manner in which minorities are being targetted,” he added.
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