Muslim intellectuals seek ouster of aliens as per process of law

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Correspondent
KALGACHIA, Sept 7 – Various sections of people and minority bodies have alleged that organisations like AASU, AJYCP, ABVP, BJP Yuba Morcha, etc., are harassing genuine Indian citizens in the name of tracing illegal Bangladeshi nationals, especially after the one-bench judge of Gauhati HC passed a verdict in regard to illegal migrants.

In this regard, a section of intellectuals and alert citizens belonging to minority community’s Goria Moria-Deshi, Ujani, indigenous Muslims and Purba Bangiya Origin have expressed their views and reactions. Soyada Meherunnissa Begum, Professor at Naha Jyoti College said that the government should take the responsibility to deport the illegal infiltrators after identifying them as per law. The action of a section of people, who took the law into their hands and harassing the genuine Indians is unacceptable, he said.

Dr MS Sheikh of the same college said that all sections of people have welcomed the process of detecting foreigners accepting March 25 of 1971 as the cut-off year. The people who are being harassed as Bangladeshis at different places in the State are the wretched (ill-fated) Assamese citizens displaced by river-erosion, he said. He also favoured the formation of a common citizens’ platform for increasing awareness among the people so that foreigners can be deported legally and unanimously.

Reacting to the matter, M Mozammel Hussain, ex-APSC member and educationist said that the supporters of some organisations harassing Indian citizens as Bangladeshis by taking law in their hand is quite deplorable. He said he does not want to have a single foreign national in the State who came after March 25, 1971. He also advocated finding out a way to solve the foreigners issue by holding peaceful discussions among AASU, AAMSU and other organisations, but not by unruly agitation.

According to Abdus Sattar Ahmed, ex-principal of NJ College, identification and deportation of foreigners should be done on basis of the established law of the land. Solution of the problem is possible only when the minority people are taken into confidence.

Prof Kayun Kabir, Head of the Dept of Chemistry, observed that the erosion-hit and flood-affected people living in the riverine areas of the Brahmaputra and Beki usually go to Upper Assam in quest of livelihood. By seizing and handing over these people to the police only on the basis of their physical appearance and dress, a kind of undemocratic tradition is being enhanced in the State. He also said that besides sealing the Indo-Bangla border and updating NRC, all sections of wise people who believe in democracy and secularism should collectively try to find out a permanent solution of the problem. He blamed the BSF for Bangladeshi infiltration.

According to Prof Gafur Dewan, foreigners issue is nothing but the outcome of political conspiracy; political leaders are more interested to keep it alive for vote-bank politics than to solve it permanently. SOURCE: ASSAM TRIBUNE