Dey who was found dead at around 2pm on May 26, 2018, was a resident of Ashadubi village, under Krishna I in the District of Goalpara and had substantial documents to prove himself as an Indian Citizen. However, he was declared an illegal intruder in Assam by the Foreigners’ Tribunal, who allegedly assumed that he came to Assam from Bangladesh after 24th March,1971.

Subrata Dey, who born in 1979 at his family home in South Salmara Bazar area under undivided Goalpara district, migrated with his family to Krishai which is about 70 km far from South Salmara. They had to migrate from their house several times as the Old Market area of South Salmara several hundred villages was washed away by river Brahmaputra several times since 1968. Some of these villages still experience inundation. Sometimes islands emerge nearby in the River Brahmaputra.

Dey was tagged as ‘D’ voter (Doubtful Voter), about 8 years ago and his case was referred to Foreigners’ Tribunal after BJP led Government came to power in Assam in 2016. Dey and his family tried their best to submit all documents relating to their Citizenship before the tribunal. Anita Dey (71), mother of Subrata Dey who is also head of their family claimed, when the case was referred to Foreigners Tribunal, they were served a notice. They promptly contacted a prominent Advocate of Goalpara and submitted all their requisite documents so that they could establish Subrata Dey as genuine Indian Citizen.

It is noteworthy that in the National Register of Citizens (NRC)-1951 Dey’s father and grand father’s names are distinctly available in the village South Salmara under house number 63. In that list, name of his grandfather Monoranjan Dey (40), his grandmother Makhan Bala Dey (26), his father Krishna Pada Dey (10), and his uncle Diz Pada Dey (4) are recorded along with four other names. In the NRC, Monoranjan Dey was recorded as son of Late Harendra Chandra Dey. Likewise Monoranjan Dey (40) son of Harendra Chandra Dey and Makhan Bala Dey (26) wife of Monoranjan Dey was duly recorded in the voter list of 1966 in the village 203 Beladoba under the serial number 755 and 756 who is grandfather and grandmother of Subrata Dey. But his father Krishna Pada Dey’s name has been mysteriously left off the list.

But, in the voter list of 1985 all three prominent names appeared in the single family from the family of Monorajan Dey which were available in NRC 1951. The Voter List of 203, Baladoba, under South Salmara Legislative Assembly Constituency of Assam is evident of the fact that inherent of Monoranjan Dey never escaped from the State. In this Voter List widow of Monoranajan Dey was head of the family of House number 154. In this Voter list six names appeared from serial number 704 to 709, of which three distinctly appeared in the NRC 1951. They are Makhan Bala Dey (65) wife of Manoranjan Dey, Krishna Pada Dey (40), son of Manoranjan Dey, Diz Pada Dey (30), Son of Manoranjan Dey. Four other names appeared in the list includes Radha Pada Dey (age not clear), son of Manoranjan Dey, Anita Dey (25), wife of Krishna Pada Dey and Rupali Dey (22), wife of Diz Pada Dey. Subrata Dey son of Krishna Pada Dey and Anita Dey who was born in 1979. In the meantime Krishna Pada Dey died in 1988 Krishna Pada Dey died at a time when the family was residing in Babupara, Krishnai.

When the family had to move from one place to another due to erosion of River Brahmaputra, they had to finally settled in Village Ashadubi under police station Krishanai of Goalpara District. Meanwhile, Subrata Dey son of Krishna Pada Dey and grandson of Monoranjan Dey was declared ‘D’ Voter like thousands of innocent people of Assam and finally his case was referred to Foreigners Tribunal about two years ago. The poor family of Subrata Dey, who was the only earning member, sold all his cows and land to manage his court expenses. But, all his efforts failed when he was finally declared illegal Bangladeshi National by the Foreigners’ Tribunal two months ago and deported to a Detention Camp at Goalpara.

The hasty Foreigners Tribunal, working at the alleged behest of the BJP led Sarbananda Sonowal Government, declared Subrata Dey as an illegal intruder, setting aside all his just and genuine documents related to Citizenship. It simply exposed the face of BJP Government which is trying to pass Citizenship (Amendment) Bill-2016 to give Citizenship to all Non-Muslim resident of the neighboring countries of India violating the basic provisions of Constitution of India when it intentionally failed to protect the right to citizenship for the Indian citizens.

It also exposed the real face of BJP Government in Assam, by showing how the Foreigners’ Tribunal under present regime is working to declare thousands of Indian citizens, especially from Muslim minority community and lower caste Bengali Hindus, as illegal. At present Assam has about 92,000 such Declared Foreigners (DF) and 1,42,000 D Voters, who have lost their Citizenship and even basic human rights.

At present, Government of Assam taking massive efforts to declare all the family members of declared foreigners as D Voters to stop the process of inclusion in the updated NRC and refer their cases to Foreigners Tribunal. In such a situation Subrata Dey, who was kept in the Detention Camp, became disturbed and his health deteriorated. As there are no provisions to ensure minimum human rights and infrastructure for medical aid at the Detention Camps, the news of Subrata Dey’s illness was not conveyed to his family members. The only news that the family members received on Saturday evening was that Subrata Dey died in Detention Camp by 2pm on May 26, 2018.

Subrata Dey’s mother Anita Dey and his wife Karuna Dey alleged that Subrata Dey may not have died and may have been killed as a result of the false and fabricated judgement of Foreigners Tribunal of Assam. Some organizations have even demanded that the person involved with the false and fabricated judgement related to declaration of Subrata Dey, must be punished.

*** Feature Image: People stand in line to check their names on the first draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Gumi village of Kamrup district in the Indian state of Assam on January 1, 2018. /VCG Photo

About the NRC

The National Register for Citizens (NRC), a record of ‘legitimate’ Indian citizens living in Assam, is being updated for the first time since 1951. The ostensible objective is to weed out ‘Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants’. However, the numbers tell a chilling story… one of a conspiracy of ‘othering’ and exclusion. 3.29 crore people from 68.27 lakh families in Assam have submitted over 6.5 crore documents with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to prove their Indian citizenship. But the NRC recently published a list of only 1.9 crores as legal citizens.

A huge number of 1.39 crore Assamese, many of them from poor and marginalised communities, are under threat of having their legitimate citizenship revoked. CJP believes this is discriminatory. Join us and raise your voice against this injustice. Sign our Petition NOW!

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