Latest news with #Brajabasi
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
TMC demands apology from Himanta for ‘writing Bengali as mother tongue' remark
Amid allegations by migrant workers from West Bengal of being targeted in BJP-ruled States, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday raised objection to remarks by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that 'writing Bengali as mother tongue in the Census documents will quantify the number of foreigners in Assam'. 'Where does this hatred stem from? Why this contempt for Bengalis and Bangla?' the TMC wrote in a social media post. Mr. Sarma had said on Friday that people who seek to replace Assamese with Bengali in the electoral rolls would help the government get an idea about the number of 'foreigners' in the State. The TMC in a series of social media posts said the Assam Chief Minister has made an 'outrageous claim'. 'Let's remind him: our National Anthem is in Bengali. Our National Song is in Bengali. So when Himanta sings 'Jana Gana Mana' or 'Vande Mataram', does he automatically become an illegal Bangladeshi? By his own twisted logic, shouldn't his citizenship now be questioned?' the party said. The remarks came days after a Foreigners' Tribunal in Assam issued a notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar, declaring him an 'illegal migrant'. While the TMC and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Mr. Brajabasi was a resident of the State, the Assam CM said 'Brajabasi is not a citizen of Bengal, where he went temporarily. He is a citizen of Assam'. TMC leader Sushmita Dev accused Mr. Sarma of 'divisive politics and racial profiling'. 'Bengali is the 7th most spoken language in the world. Yet, under BJP's rule, Bengali-speaking Indians are subjected to racial profiling, targeted harassment, and systematic persecution. By branding Bengalis as 'illegal Bangladeshis', the Assam CM has disgraced the very office he holds. He must apologise immediately,' Ms. Dev said.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
West Bengal resident who got notice over citizenship is from Assam, says Himanta
GUWAHATI A resident of West Bengal, who received a notice from a Foreigners' Tribunal (FT), was a citizen of Assam but he should have informed the tribunal that his community has been exempted from citizenship cases, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma said on Thursday evening. He was responding to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement that an Assam tribunal issued a notice over citizenship to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a resident of Cooch Behar district's Dinhata for 50 years and a member of the Koch-Rajbanshi community. An FT is a quasi-judicial set-up that tries cases of people suspected and marked as foreigners by the border wing of the Assam Police. Depending on the FT's verdict, a person is detained and deported to the country of his or her origin. 'Brajabasi is not a citizen of Bengal, where he went temporarily. He is a citizen of Assam,' Mr. Sarma said. 'The notice he received is a judicial process, but the State government has recommended the withdrawal of citizenship cases against the Koch-Rajbanshi people. This is being processed,' he said. Mr. Sarma faulted Mr. Brajabasi and his two advocates for not informing the tribunal that he is a Koch-Rajbanshi. 'The case would have been removed if they had pleaded for withdrawal of the case according to a government office memorandum,' he said. The Koch-Rajbanshis are among several communities, including Bengali Hindus and Muslims, who have migrated from or taken refuge in Assam from Bangladesh. A few days ago, Ms Banerjee expressed 'shock' over the notice issued to Mr Brajabasi. She alleged that the man was being harassed on suspicion of being a 'foreigner/illegal migrant' even after he had furnished valid identity documents. 'This is nothing short of a systematic assault on democracy. It is proof that the ruling BJP dispensation in Assam is attempting to implement NRC in Bengal, where it holds no power or jurisdiction,' she stated. Ms. Banerjee sniffed a premeditated attempt to intimidate, disenfranchise, and target marginalised communities. 'This unconstitutional overreach is anti-people, and exposes the BJP's dangerous agenda of bulldozing democratic safeguards and erasing the identity of Bengal's people,' she said. She further said that this 'alarming' situation called for unity among all Opposition parties to stand up against the BJP's 'divisive and oppressive machinery'.
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
West Bengal farmer sent ‘illegal migrant' notice by Assam's Foreigners Tribunal
A 50-year-old farmer from Sadialer Kuthi, a remote village in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district, has received a notice from the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam's Kamrup district asking him to submit valid documents to prove that he is not an 'illegal migrant or foreigner.'. The farmer, Uttam Kumar Brajabasi (left), claimed that his family has been living in the village for at least five generations. (HT Photo) The development has sparked a political row in the eastern state, with chief minister Mamata Banerjee claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Assam was trying to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal. 'I am shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam has issued an NRC notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi, resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years. Despite furnishing valid identity documents, he is being harassed on suspicion of being a foreigner/illegal migrant. This calls for urgent unity among all opposition parties to stand up against BJP's divisive and oppressive machinery. Bengal will not stand by as the Constitutional fabric of India is torn apart,' Banerjee wrote on X on Tuesday. The farmer, Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, claimed that his family has been living in the village for at least five generations and that he has never been out of West Bengal. 'I received a notice in January this year through the police. As I can't read and write well, I showed it to my neighbors. They said that it was an NRC-notice from Assam. I am really scared,' Brajabasi told media persons. The notice, sent to him by the tribunal in December 2024, stated that Brajabasi had illegally stayed in Assam without any valid document between January 1, 1966 and March 24, 1971, and that he was currently residing at Dinhata in Cooch Behar district. 'Therefore, as per provision of order 3(1) of the Foreigners (Tribunal) Order, 1964, you are asked to appear in person or by concerned lawyer engaged by you before this Foreigners Tribunal on January 6, 2025, at 10am to show cause supported by valid documents as admissible to prove that you are not a foreigner/illegal migrant as required under section 9 of the Foreigners Act, 1946. Upon failure to respond to this notice on your part, the Tribunal shall proceed to decide the reference ex-parte,' the notice stated. 'I have never been to Assam nor do I have any relatives there. I was born and brought up in Dinhata. Even my grandfather and father are from the same village,' he told media persons. Brajabasi also said that he hired a lawyer to represent his case at the tribunal and submitted documents of his father and grandfather to prove his citizenship. He claimed that he was asked to submit more documents within July 15, failing which he would be treated as a foreigner. The developments came to light after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Samirul Islam flagged it on social media late on Monday evening. 'After the incident came to light on Monday, we got in touch with the authorities in Kamrup district. We are also sending them mail today with all documents of Brajabasi on Tuesday. He is a resident of Cooch Behar,' said Arvind Kumar Mina, district magistrate of Cooch Behar. 'This is nothing short of a systematic assault on democracy. It is proof that the ruling BJP dispensation in Assam is attempting to implement NRC in Bengal, where it holds no power or jurisdiction. A premeditated attempt is being made to intimidate, disenfranchise, and target marginalised communities. This unconstitutional overreach is anti-people, and exposes BJP's dangerous agenda of bulldozing democratic safeguards and erasing the identity of Bengal's people,' Banerjee wrote on X. The BJP, however, has hit back alleging that the TMC was creating a false narrative and that the Assam government has already decided to keep the Koch – Rajbangshi community out of the NRC process. 'False narrative being peddled by @MamataOfficial regarding an alleged notice issued by one FRO court from Assam. But the fact of the matter is @CMOfficeAssam has already taken a decision to keep Koch-Rajbangshi out of NRC process rather state cabinet took firm stand to withdraw all pending cases against Koch-Rajbangshi community as far as NRC is concerned,' Jagannath Chattopadhyay, state general secretary of the BJP wrote on X.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Need urgent unity of Opposition parties': Mamata on Assam govt's NRC notice to Bengal resident
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock after a Coochbehar resident in the state was served an NRC notice by the Assam government, calling it 'a systemic assault on democracy'. She posted on X, 'I am shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam has issued an NRC notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi and resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years. Despite furnishing valid identity documents, he is being harassed on suspicion of being a 'foreigner/illegal migrant'.' Banerjee claimed, '… It is proof that the ruling BJP dispensation in Assam is attempting to implement NRC in Bengal, where it holds no power or jurisdiction. A premeditated attempt is being made to intimidate, disenfranchise, and target marginalised communities. This unconstitutional overreach is anti-people, and exposes the BJP's dangerous agenda of bulldozing democratic safeguards and erasing the identity of Bengal's people.' She said that the alleged incident calls for 'urgent unity' among all Opposition parties against the BJP's 'divisive and oppressive machinery'. Brajabasi claimed he never went outside the Coochbehar district and that his family has been residents of the area for five generations. The notice mentioned that he has to prove his Indian citizenship by July 15, claiming that his family entered from the Assam border in the 1970s. Brajabasi said he is afraid he will be sent to a detention camp. Meanwhile, BJP MLA and leader Sushil Barman said, 'This is another baseless campaign of TMC. There is no truth in it. If this happened, the West Bengal government has to take responsibility for this.' North Bengal Development Minister and Dinhata TMC MLA Udayan Guha said, 'The BJP is basically anti-Bengali. They are taking revenge on Bengalis because Bengal never voted for the BJP. The Trinamool Congress on their official X handle posted, 'A resident of Dinhata, Cooch Behar is being hunted like a criminal by Assam's Foreigners Tribunal. Despite submitting every valid identity proof, he's being hounded and asked to cough up electoral rolls from every election between 1966 and 2008…' Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
New Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
CM Mamata alleges Assam is using NRC to target Bengal residents without jurisdiction
KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress Chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP-led Assam government of allegedly trying to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal. She has called on all opposition parties to unite against what she described as 'BJP's divisive and oppressive machinery'. Taking to X on Tuesday morning, Banerjee said that Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar in North Bengal, was allegedly being harassed on suspicion of being a 'foreigner/illegal migrant', despite furnishing valid identity documents. 'I am shocked and deeply disturbed to learn that the Foreigners Tribunal in Assam has issued an NRC notice to Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi, resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years,' she wrote on X. Samirul Islam, a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP and chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board, had raised the issue on Monday. In a post on social media, he alleged that the BJP government of Assam had sent an NRC notice to Brajabasi, a resident of Cooch Behar. Islam showed the document and said that Brajabasi's name was first registered in the voter list in 1966. He questioned how the Assam government could send an NRC notice to that person despite the documentation.
