'Systematic Assault’: Mamata Says As Bengal Man Branded Migrant By Assam Tribunal
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly condemned the branding of a Cooch Behar resident as a “suspected illegal migrant” by Assam’s Foreigners Tribunal, calling it a “systematic assault on democracy” and a dangerous overreach by the BJP-led government in Assam.
The case involves Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi man from Sadialer Kuthi in Dinhata, Cooch Behar – a region over 700 kilometres from Kolkata. Brajabasi, who claims to have lived in Bengal his entire life, received a notice from the Foreigner’s Tribunal in Kamrup, Assam, in January 2025, alleging that he had entered Assam illegally between January 1, 1966, and March 24, 1971. The tribunal claimed he had failed to produce valid documents during police verification to prove his Indian citizenship.
Speaking on the matter, Banerjee said: “I am shocked and deeply disturbed. Despite furnishing valid identity documents, Uttam Kumar Brajabasi is being harassed. This is nothing short of a systematic assault on democracy.”
She accused the BJP of attempting to impose the NRC (National Register of Citizens) agenda in Bengal, where it has no authority, and warned of a broader plan to target marginalised communities. “This unconstitutional overreach is anti-people and exposes BJP’s dangerous agenda of bulldozing democratic safeguards and erasing the identity of Bengal’s people,” she added.
Brajabasi, who has presented Aadhaar, ration, and voter identity cards, told the tribunal that his family has lived in Cooch Behar for generations. The court, however, demanded certified copies of every electoral roll listing his father’s name from before 1970 until his death in 2008. Brajabasi has stated that the district election office in Cooch Behar was burned and records before 1971 are unavailable. He has only been able to obtain voter rolls for 1966 and 2008.
“The tribunal is threatening to declare me a foreigner. We are poor people — we haven’t even left the district, let alone travelled to Assam,” Brajabasi said in a plea to the district administration, requesting assistance in securing proof of his citizenship, as reported by The Telegraph.
His lawyer, Apurba Sinha, pointed out the absurdity of Assam issuing such a notice. “This case was filed in 2015. After nine years, they send a notice? NRC doesn’t apply in Bengal. How does Assam have the right to do this?” he questioned.
Bengal minister Udayan Guha, also from Cooch Behar, supported Brajabasi’s case. “He is an Indian citizen. People who came before 1971 shouldn’t have to face such harassment,” Guha said.
The Foreigners Tribunals in Assam are quasi-judicial bodies established under the Foreigners Act, 1946, tasked with determining the citizenship status of individuals suspected to be illegal migrants. In the context of the NRC process, these tribunals have played a central role in deciding who is considered a citizen and who is not. However, they have often been criticised for opaque procedures and lack of proper legal representation for the accused.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has escalated the matter politically, tying it to what they allege is a broader attempt by the BJP to replicate the NRC exercise beyond Assam. “A resident of Dinhata, Cooch Behar is being hunted like a criminal despite submitting every valid proof. He’s being asked to produce 42 years of electoral rolls,” the party said on its official X handle.
In light of these developments, Banerjee has called on all Opposition parties to unite. “Bengal will not stand by as the constitutional fabric of India is torn apart,” she warned.
The issue comes at a time when the Election Commission is conducting a special electoral revision in Bihar, which the TMC also claims is part of a strategy to disenfranchise voters.
