CRPC objects to State government's gazette notification

From Our Correspondent

Silchar, Sept 5: Citizens’ Rights Preservation Committee (CRPC), Assam has strongly objected to the view forwarded by the State government of Assam in the form of an affidavit in Gauhati High Court with regard to the twin gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, dated September 7, 2015. In their press-release, Bidhayak Das Purkayastha, general secretary, CRPC, Assam has stated that the government notified to exempt persons belonging to minority communities in Bangladesh and Pakistan, who have entered India on or before December 31, 2014, from the relevant provisions of rules and order made under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Foreigners Act, 1946, in respect of their entry and stay in India, without valid documents or after the expiry of those documents, as the case may be.

 CRPC stated that when the gazette notification clearly mentioned about the conditions based on which the persecuted people will be allowed to stay in India, then the question of long-term visa (LTV) does not even arise. Bidhayak Das Purkayastha stated that the reasons cited by the State government in their affidavit clearly indicates that the BJP led government wants to politicize the matter keeping it alive and use it as vote bank. He further mentioned in the press-release that the gazette notification and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 are two separate matters. But, the State government is trying to confuse the people by amalgamating them.

 The gazette notification addresses that the persecuted people will be allowed to stay in India. However, it does not mean that they will be provided citizenship. The matter of citizenship is under consideration before the Parliament. It appears that the State government is reluctant to provide relief to the persecuted people who are harassed, tortured, humiliated in the me of Bangladeshis and D-voters only in Assam. Bidhayak Das Purkayastha is of the opinion that the Gauhati High Court, Calcutta High Court, Rajasthan High Court and Kartaka High Court have laid emphasis on their judgements to consider the gazette notification with regard to the doubtful foreigners’ cases.

 In CRM 10076 /2015 of Calcutta High Court, the learned Counsel Ranjan Roy on behalf of the government of India, submitted that the provisions of the gazette notification and the order mentioned are to be applied automatically from the date of publication of the said order. Roy also said that the two instruments dated September 7, 2015 do not specify or desigte any authority before whom the possibility of facing religious persecution has to be factually established in order to get shelter in this country.

 Bidhayak Das Purkayastha has expressed his agony and wonders over the fact that if other states of India can implement the gazette notification and provide justice to the persecuted people, then why Assam being a state of India, disagree to implement the same. Bidhayak Das Purkayastha also stated that he thinks it is a well-hatched conspiracy against the persecuted people. CRPC has demanded that the State government should review its decision and come out with a justified stand for the justice of the ill fated people.