NNWN / New Delhi, 2018-11-16

National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to Assam government in connection with the alleged police harassment of the people in the name of verification of their nationality in the State. Reportedly, due to the illegal immigration from Bangladesh to Assam, the people belonging to Bengali origin are under scanner for years together and the Assam Government has set up Foreigners’ Tribunals to deal with the doubtful cases.

Taking a suo motu cognisance of the media reports, the NHRC observed that it has carefully perused and examined the contents of the news report of October 31. However, the NHRC sent notice to the Assam Chief Secretary seeking report on the issue,  The steps taken to identify the suspect cases of illegal immigration and setting up of Foreigners’ Tribunals is a policy perspective of the government and it would not like to intervene into that matter but the allegations that in the name of verification, the poor people are being subjected to harassment and humiliation is a matter of concern for the Commission, as it amounts to violation of right to equality and dignity of the innocent victims.

          According to the media report, there are detention centres in the State of Assam, where the people, under scanner, are lodged in two categories, Bangladeshis and D-voters. In many cases, once a person is declared an Indian citizen is again served notice by the police. It is further mentioned that at the time of hearing, the subjects are not allowed to wear their shoes and they have to enter barefoot, inside the Court, while the government officers and advocates are exempted.

A specific case of one Shri Moinal Molla has been mentioned in the media report. His parents, wife, children, brother and rest of the family are Indians and still his citizenship was rejected by the authorities. He spent more than two years at a detention centre. It was only after the intervention by the Apex Court, the justice was done in his case.

As mentioned in the report, there are 89,395 people estimated as illegal immigrants in Assam till August, 2017 and currently there are more than 2,000 people languishing in the detention centers, across the State, who are, allegedly, being subjected to discrimination.