GUWAHATI: In an unusual case of administrative error, a woman in Assam deemed an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh, reclaimed her Indian citizenship after six years.
Dulubi Bibi, a 50-year-old resident of Udharbond in Cachar district, was initially declared a foreigner by the Foreigners’ Tribunal-3 of Silchar on March 20, 2017, but recently, based on circumstantial evidence, she was rightfully acknowledged as an Indian citizen.
Interestingly, the declaration of her being an Indian citizen was done by the same tribunal member, B K Talukdar, who had declared her an illegal immigrant in 2017.
The tribunal had not only declared her a foreigner but had also ordered her arrest. Bibi was later released from the detention centre on bail, following a directive from the Supreme Court. This year, in May, she had challenged the 2017 Foreigners’ Tribunal order in the Gauhati High Court.
With the support of the District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) in Cachar, Bibi was provided with free legal assistance, and advocate Mahitosh Das was appointed as her lawyer. The High Court subsequently directed the tribunal to re-examine her case.
Complicating the matter further, there were discrepancies in her name as it appeared on various voters’ lists, and similar issues arose with the names of her father and grandfather. During the tribunal’s revaluation, Bibi was able to present ample evidence connecting her to her grandfather, whose name had appeared in multiple voters’ lists dating back to before 1965.
Talukdar, satisfied with the materials presented and arguments made, issued an order earlier this week, stating, “… My considered opinion is the OP (Dulubi Bibi) is a citizen of India born out of Indian citizens living on Indian soil.”
