Bahadur Gaonburah’s relative among scores who missed NRC bus

Assam, 31 july 2018:

A day after Assam published the complete draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC), it now emerged that the relatives of a number of families were left out of the list despite officials records of their parents or forefathers living in Assam before March 24, 1971, the NRC cut-off date.

Prof Omar Saaduddin Ahmed, who is the great grandson of Bahadur Gaonburah, did not make the cut. He had retired as a vice principal of a college in Jorhat. Bahadur Gaonburah was a freedom fighter who participated in the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny and was sentenced to imprisonment at the Cellular Jails of Andaman.

Anna Bala Ray, a Koch-Rajbongshi, hailing from Anchorbari village in Chirang met a similar fate. She has been referred to a Foreigners’ Tribunal for trial. She was allegedly forcibly picked up by the police and declared as a foreigner. The name of her father figured in the voters’ list of 1966.

Aradhana Dev Nath, son of the late Makhan Dev Nath of Udalguri district, was declared as a ‘D’ voter although his father was listed as a voter in the voters’ list of 1966.

Nihar Dhali, son of the late Keshab Dhali of Udalguri district, was referred to the Foreigners’ Tribunal and it declared him as an Indian as his father was listed in the NRC of 1951. He missed the NRC bus as he has been again declared as a ‘D’ voter.

Subrat Dey alias Subrata Dey, son of the Krishna Pada Dey of Dudhnoi in Goalpara district, was declared a foreigner by the Foreigners’ Tribunal and sent to the detention camp of Goalpara where he died due to some unknown reason. The name of his father figured in the NRC of 1951.

Gopal Namasudra, son of Lal Mohan Namasudra of Ratabari village in Karimganj district, was declared as a ‘D’ voter although his father was listed in the voters’ list of 1966.

Nilima Chakroborty, daughter of Rhishikesh Chakroborty of Maizgrama village in Karimganj, was referred to a Foreigners’ Tribunal although her name figured in the voters’ list of 1966.

Titila Bala Das, daughter of Giriram Das of Ratabari in Karimganj, was referred to a Foreigners’ Tribunal but it declared her as an Indian. Her father’s name figured in the voters’ list of 1970 but she was listed as a ‘D’ voter.

Shah Alam Bhuyan, son of Affaj Uddin Bhuyan of Raoumari Pathar in Barpeta, was listed as ‘D’ voter. He is serving as an assistant sub inspector of police. His father’s name appeared in the NRC of 1951.

Ikramuddim Ali, brother of former President of India Fakruddin Ali Ahmed, was excluded from the draft NRC.

Anowara Begum was declared an Indian by the Foreigners’ Tribunal Kamrup (R) No- 1 Guwahati on 30/1/2018 in FT Case No. 115/2017. However, she received a notice again from the same tribunal in FT Case No. 1034/2017 to prove her citizenship.

Similarly, Chand Miah was declared as an Indian by the Foreigners’ Tribunal of Kamrup (R) No- 2 Boko on 24/04/2017 in BFT Case no. 683/2017. He received notice again from the same Foreigners’ Tribunal to prove his citizenship.