Cooch Behar, July 08 (Siliguri Chronicle) – A 50-year-old farmer from West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district has written to the district magistrate for help in proving his Indian citizenship, after being labelled a suspected illegal immigrant by a Foreigners’ Tribunal in Assam’s Kamrup — a place he says he has never visited.
“I am so poor that I never even left Cooch Behar,” said Uttam Kumar Brajabashi, a resident of Sadialer Kuthi village under Sahebganj police station area in Cooch Behar. “I am shocked that the Assam tribunal claims I entered that state as an illegal immigrant. I tried to resolve the issue with the help of a lawyer, but the tribunal has given me a deadline of July 15 to prove my citizenship.”
The notice states that Brajabashi allegedly entered Assam without valid documents sometime between January 1, 1966 and March 24, 1971.
“….Reference reveals that you could not produce any valid document before the police during enquiry/verification regarding your Indian citizenship within the stipulated period of time,” the letter reads. It adds: “…you are suspected to be an illegal immigrant.”
The issue quickly turned political, with the ruling Trinamool Congress accusing the BJP of using the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to target genuine Indian citizens in Bengal.
Trinamool leaders also connected the incident to the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging it is being used as a tool to harass Bengali voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
“It’s a full-blown war on Bengalis. A CULTURAL PURGE designed by a party that simply can’t stomach rejection. They lost Bengal. Now they want REVENGE,” read a post from Trinamool’s official social media handle.
According to the farmer, he received the notice earlier this year but did not initially understand its significance, as it was issued from Assam.
“After speaking to several people, including advocates, I learned that this is an NRC notice. My father and grandfather were born in Cooch Behar. How can I be called an illegal immigrant now?” asked Brajabashi.
The document, dated November 2024, was issued by a member of the Foreigners’ Tribunal and served to Brajabashi by Cooch Behar police in January this year.
Following this, Brajabashi hired a lawyer who travelled to Assam and submitted documents to prove that he is a permanent resident of Cooch Behar district.
“The Assam court has given me a deadline of July 15 this year to prove my citizenship. That’s why I approached the district magistrate for help,” said the farmer.
Arvind Kumar Meena, the district magistrate of Cooch Behar, told The Telegraph that his office will soon communicate with its counterpart in Assam, submitting documents to establish Brajabashi’s ancestral home in Bengal. “We have prepared all necessary documents, including certified copies of the electoral roll from the 1960s,” he said.
“These (documents) prove that Brajabashi is a resident of this district. We will also send a letter to the Assam district authorities, making it clear that he cannot be an illegal immigrant. The administration stands with Brajabashi,” Meena added.
On Monday evening, Dinhata Block II BDO Nitish Tamang visited Brajabashi’s home, but the farmer was not present. Tamang said the administration would extend all possible support to him and left instructions for Brajabashi to meet him on Tuesday.
A Trinamool source said both the party and the Bengal government view the notice to Brajabashi as part of a broader attempt to target Bengalis — especially in light of recent reports of Bengali-speaking migrant workers being deported to Bangladesh on suspicion of being foreign nationals.
Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, who is overseeing deportation-related matters involving migrant workers, said the party would move court if the Assam government takes any further action against the Cooch Behar resident.
“We are shocked that the Assam government could issue an NRC notice to a Bengal resident who has never even visited the neighbouring state. We believe this is a ploy against Bengalis ahead of the elections. The BJP is using all possible means to harass Bengalis,” said Islam.
BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar claimed that it was the Bengal government that supplied incorrect information to Assam during inquiries related to illegal immigrants. He said many people living in Bengal’s border districts originally had homes in Assam, which often led to confusion over their identity.
“Our people are suffering because of the Bengal government’s errors. We suspect it was Trinamool which supplied wrong data about individuals when Assam authorities requested details…,”said Sarkar.
