Assam: Woman Declared Illegal Migrant Becomes Indian Citizen After Lengthy Legal Battle

GUWAHATI: Dulubi Bibi, a 50-year-old resident of Cachar's Udharbond area in Assam, who had been declared an illegal migrant from Bangladesh by a foreigners tribunal in 2017, has finally been recognized as an Indian citizen.

The long-standing legal battle began when she was declared an illegal migrant by a member of Foreigners Tribunal-3 in Silchar on March 20, 2017. This decision was made during the hearing of a 1998 case under the Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunals Act. The case was later re-registered under the Foreigners Tribunals Act in 2015.

The tribunal had cited discrepancies in her name and family details in various voters' lists, leading to the initial declaration as an illegal migrant. Her name appeared differently in different lists, as Dulubi Bibi, Dulabjan Begum, and Dulubi Bibi. Moreover, there were inconsistencies in her father's and grandfather's names across these lists. She also struggled to establish a connection between her parents' names.

In May 2023, Bibi decided to challenge the 2017 Foreigners Tribunal order in the Gauhati High Court. With support from the District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) in Cachar, she was provided with free legal assistance, and advocate Mahitosh Das was appointed as her lawyer.

The High Court ordered the same member of Silchar's FT-3 to re-examine the case. During the tribunal's hearings, Bibi presented compelling evidence to prove her connection with her grandfather, whose name appeared in multiple voters' lists before 1965.

On October 7, 2023, the same FT-3 member, BK Talukdar, who had previously declared her an illegal migrant in 2017, ruled in her favor, granting her Indian citizenship.

In his order, Talukdar noted that considering the facts, materials submitted, and depositions in the various voters' lists from 1965, 1985, 1997, and additional documents from 1993 and 2015, there was no doubt regarding her citizenship.

He concluded, "According to the report submitted by the superintendent of police (B), along with related documents including copies of NRC details of 1966, printed voters' list of 1993, Gaon Panchayat Certificate, Elector Voter Identity Card, and an affidavit stating that the OP Dulabjan Begum daughter of Sirai Uddin Laskar, Dulabjan Begum daughter of Sirai Mia, and Dulabjan Bibi are one and the same person.

In light of these findings, Talukdar stated, "My considered opinion is the OP (Dulubi Bibi) is a citizen of India born out of Indian citizens living on Indian soil."

Dulubi Bibi received the official order copy from FT-3 on Wednesday afternoon. Reflecting on her journey, she said, "I am a Muslim woman, and my family is conservative. I used to work as a cook before going to jail. I'm not sure if my husband will accept me, or if I'll get any work now. Will the government take responsibility for this damage?"

Social activist Kamal Chakrabarty from Silchar played a crucial role in assisting Dulubi Bibi throughout the legal process.

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