Citizen group slams Farida Khan over 'D voters' issue

SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR, Sept 30: Citizens’ Rights Preservation Committee (CRPC), Assam, has reacted strongly to the statement made by Farida Abdullah Khan, a member of the tiol Commission for Minorities (NCM), on ‘D’ voters and detention camps of Assam. Her statement said the members of poor illiterate Muslim community are intentiolly labelled ‘D’ voters and sent to the detention camps. Nripendra Chandra Saha, president, CRPC Assam, pointed out such distorted statement by a responsible member of the NMC ‘is really unfortute’.

 This will only create more confusion since the Bengali community as a whole is the victim of ‘D’ voters and branded ‘Bangladeshi’ only to be harassed and subjected to humiliation. Since the publication of the revised electoral rolls on December 9, 1997, Bengali, both Hindus and Muslims, are the victims of ‘D’ despite their being genuine Indian citizens. Sadhan Purkayastha, secretary general, CRPC Assam, is of the view that the function of the NCM is to look after the problems of minorities and find out their solutions in order to ensure all round development and welfare of the communities.  Bengalis being the minority community, it is the responsibility of the Commission to seriously examine the problems now being faced by them without politicizing the matter. Such exercise will only divide the communities at stake. It would be a wise step by the NMC to send spot verification report to the President, the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Minority Affairs Minister for their knowledge and the measures that needed to be initiated. Purkayastha said most of the victims are the Bengali Hindus and it is due to leadership crisis. He called upon the leaders of Hindu community to rise above political differences and unite to raise their voice against the injustice faced by them.  Bidhayak Das Purkayastha, general secretary, CRPC Assam, cited specific instances of the relief to a number of suspected foreigners belonging to Bangladesh and Pakistan who were forced to take shelter in this country, being the victims of religious persecution. This could be possible on the strength of the Gazette Notification issued by Ministry of Home Affairs on September 7, 2015 which exempted those who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. He referred to the judgement given by Gauhati High Court on November 6, 2015 related to case no. WP(C) 5602/2015 filed by mita Chakraborty of Dhemaji who was kept in the detention camp following an ex-parte judgement of the Foreigners’ Tribul.

 The Court directed to free the petitioner and asked the state government to implement the order by November 30. The judgement also stated that any illegal detention will lead to the infringement of the persol liberty of the petitioner. He also cited yet another case no. 1007/2015 filed by Ranjit Kumar Mazumder and others in Kolkata High Court which delivered a judgement on March 9, 2016 stating that the detention of the petitioners under the Foreigners’ Act cannot continue having regard to the Notification of September 7, 2015.

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